
Class _B~T3&2^ 
OopightN 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH 




THE CHRIST CHILD. 
My delights were to be with the children of men."— Prov. 8. 31. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH 

THE STORY OF HIS LIFE 
WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN 

..BY.. 

MOTHER MARY LOYOLA, 

Of the Bar Convent, York 



EDITED BY 

FATHER THURSTON, S. J. 



FOR SALE BY 

BENZIGER BROTHERS 

New York, Cincinnati, Chicago. 
1906. 






OCT 4 1906 



3w88 A XXtt. *©. 
/ ^ f / © ^ 
COPY 8 



3130E. 

^5^- 



Niftii ©fcstat. 

REMIGIUS LAFORT, S.T.L., 

Censor, 

imprimatur. 

*JOHN M. FARLEY, 

Archbishop of New York. 

New York, June 24th, 1906. 



Copyright, 1906, by the Congregation of the Mission 

of St. Vincent de Paul 

in Springfield, Mass. 



I 






0' 



THE CHILDREN OF AMERICA 

THIS STORY OF HlM 

WHO LOVES THEM 

AND DIED FOR THEM 

AND INVITES THEM 

TO SPEND WITH HlM 

A HAPPY ETERNITY 

IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED, 



PREFATORY NOTE, 



The pressure of an earnest invitation sent me from 
America must be my excuse for venturing to add 
another Life of Christ for the Young to the excellent 
ones already existing. 

The aim proposed is to strengthen faith in our Lord's 
Divinity, and to draw the hearts of children to Him "by 
a personal love. To do this within the limits assigned, 
it has seemed better to omit a certain amount of matter 
rather than sacrifice detailed descriptions of leading 
facts, which by impressing the imagination leave a 
vivid picture in the mind. 

Where different views, as to chronology, etc., pre- 
vail, I have adopted the one supported by the greater 
number of Catholic authors. To the following books 
of reference in particular I desire to acknowledge my 
indebtedness : 

La Sainte Bible, by M. 1' Abbe L. C. Pillion. 
The Christ the Son of God, by the Abbe Fouard. 
Jesus Christ, by Pere Didon, O. P. 
Life of Jesus Christ, by Fr. Maas, S. J. 
Life of Our Life, by Fr. Coleridge, S. J. 
The Passion, by Pere Ollivier, O. P. 

ix 



X PEEFATOEY NOTE. 

Dictionaire de la S. Bible, by the Abbe F. Vigouroux. 
Cambridge Companion to the Bible. 
Helps to the Study of the Bible. 
St. Luke, by the Right Rev. Mgr. Ward. 
Jesus the Messiah, by Dr. Edersheim. 
Sketches of Jewish Social Life, by Dr. Edersheim. 
The Resurrection of Christ, by G. W. B. Marsh, B. A. 
Holy Gospel According to St. John, by the Very 
Rev. J. Maclntyre. 

Should this little book help even a few children of 
the great Catholic Church of America, so free, vigorous, 
and expanding, to withstand the infidelity of the day, 
and lead them to a tender, personal love of Jesus 
Christ, it will have happily attained its end. 

M. LOYOLA. 



FOREWORD 

FROM 

CARDINAL GIBBONS. 



We all realize that the children form the most pre- 
cious portion of the flock committed to our care. The 
little ones were very dear to the heart of our Blessed 
Lord : " Suffer the little children to come unto me, and 
forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God." 
(Mark 10. 14). Hence we are all willing with St. 
Paul " to spend ourselves, and be spent" in a special 
manner for the sake of the dear children. In their 
turn the children are destined to be the people ; and we 
know that impressions are the more abiding when made 
in the time of youth : "A young man according to his 
way, even when he is old he will not depart from it." 
(Prov. 22. 6). Whoever contributes toward implant- 
ing the seeds of piety and virtue in the minds of chil- 
dren, has a special claim to the promise of the Holy 
Ghost : " They that instruct many to justice, shall 
shine as stars for all eternity." (Dan. 12. 3). The 
most efficient way of forming the youthful heart to vir- 
tue and piety is to cause the love of God to predominate 
over the fear of God : " Be ye followers of God, as 
most dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also 
hath loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us, an ob- 
lation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness." 
(Eph. 5. 1.) Again the Beloved Disciple tells us: 

xi 



JQ1 FOREWORD. 

" Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth 
God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God 
is charity. Fear is not in charity; but perfect charity 
casteth out fear, because fear hath pain. And he that 
feareth is not perfected in charity. Let us therefore 
love God, because God first hath loved us." (I. John 4). 

The beautiful life-story of Our Blessed Lord, when 
well told, is a most powerful means of inflaming the 
hearts of youth with love for God. This love, in turn, 
will help the children to keep God's commandments: 
"And this is charity, that we walk according to His 
commandments." (II. John. 1. 6.) 

My heart was delighted on reading the proof-sheets 
of " Jesus of Nazareth : The Story of His Life, Written 
for Children/' by Mother Mary Loyola. The book is 
eminently practical, simple, unctuous, and interesting. 
It will make a powerful impression on the minds of 
the children. In fact no one can read it without loving 
God more, and therefore becoming better. The Author 
evidently realizes the wants of the child-mind, and, at 
the same .time, comforts every soul in its longing for 
something higher and better. 

This gifted Eeligious has contributed much toward 
the salvation of souls in the many beautiful and useful 
works that she has written. These books are silently, 
yet surely, doing their work in the family circle, in the 
schools, and in the work shops. The remarkable suc- 
cess of the Author of these works is evidently to be at- 
tributed to her genuine piety, her life of prayer and 
union with God, and her knowledge of the Sacred Scrip- 
tures and the Fathers. The learned Father Thurston, 
S. J., carefully supervises her works. Her attractive 
suggestions, and her enlightening doctrines are put so 
simply, and applied so well, that a person would almost 



FOREWORD, Xlll 

wonder why he did not think of expressing his thoughts 
in that way himself. 

Parents, teachers and instructors will find Mother 
Loyola's works very useful in the difficult task of form- 
ing the minds of children to a life of virtue. We would 
be glad to see a copy of " Jesus of Nazareth, Written 
for Children," in every household in the land. We 
wish it God-speed in going out on its great mission. 

J. CARD. GIBBONS. 

Baltimore, March 25, 1906. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Prefatory Note 9 

I. " Who art Thou, Lord ? " 17 

II. On Trial . .22 

III. The Promised One . . . . . .29 

THE CHILDHOOD AND HIDDEN LIFE. 

IV. A Joyful Surprise 43 

V. Holy Mary 46 

VI. Holy Mother of God . . 53 

VII. Mary's Song 58 

VIII. The First Christmas Night .... 61 

IX. In the Temple 71 

X. The Star in the East . .... 79 

XI. Jesus of Nazareth 85 

XII. In the Temple Again 91 

XIII. The Hidden Life 

THE PUBLIC LIFE. 

XIV. Palestine and its People . . . . .109 
XV. The Banks of Jordan . . . . fc . .117 

XVI. In the Desert 120 

XVII. The First Disciples 132 

XVITL Galilee 138 

XTX. The Court of the Gentiles 144 

XX. At Jacob's Well 153 

XXL A Sabbath at Nazareth 162 

XXII. "His Own City" 170 

XXTIL "We have seen wonderful things to-day. '* . 178 

XXIV. The Twelve .187 

XXV. The Sermon on the Mount 200 

XXVI. "Who went about doing good " .... 209 

XXVII. "Never man spake like this man" . . . 218 

XXVIII. "TalithaCuni!" 223 

XV 



XVI 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

XXIX. A Holiday 237 

XXX. "Will you also go away?" 244 

XXXI. "Lord, help me ! " 25 L 

XXXII. At Csesarea Philippi 256 

XXXIII. With the Children 267 

XXXIV. With the Twelve 273 

XXXV. With His Friends 287 

XXXVI. The Beginning of the End 298 

XXXVII. "Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! " 307 

XXXVIII. The Night in which He was Betrayed. . 322 

XXXIX. "It is Finished" 343 

THE RISEN LIFE. 

XL. "Jesus Christ yesterday, to-day, and the same 

for ever " 373 

XLI. "This Jesus shall so come as you have seen 

Him going into Heaven " , 397 



I. 

" WHO ART THOTT, LORD % " * 

Nineteen hundred years ago there came into this 
world a Man whose Life of thirty-three years is the 
chief event in the world's history, and — whether we 
think of it or not — the chief event in the history here 
and hereafter of every one of us. 

He was promised four thousand years before He 
came. The race, the tribe, the family, the time of His 
coming, the chief events of His Life were known. So 
that in the reign of the Roman Emperor, Augustus 
Caesar, when the time foretold by the prophets had 
come, there was a widespread expectation of a great 
Deliverer, and many eyes were turned to the little 
country of Palestine where He was to appear. And 
there, in Bethlehem, in a stable, on a winter's night, He 
came. Angels sang in the heavens and sent shepherds 
to His crib. A star shining out in the eastern sky 
brought wise men to His feet. Then the marvels 
around Him ceased, and whilst men were still expecting, 
and wondering why the promised One delayed so long, 
He was growing up from youth to manhood, and work- 
ing at a carpenter's trade in the despised village of 
Nazareth. 

At the age of thirty He left His cottage home and 
began to show Himself to men. The majesty and grace 
of His Person, His winning ways, the power and the 
sweetness of His words, and His marvellous works, 

* Acts ix. 5. 

2 17 



18 JESUS OF NAZAHETH. 

soon carried His fame far beyond the limits of His own 
land. His feet trod the stormy waves. His voice 
stilled the tempests, cast out devils, and brought peace 
to the souls of men. The touch of His hand gave sight 
to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, 
life to the dead. 

Multitudes followed wherever He went, through the 
crowded streets, up the hillsides, into the desert. When 
He preached on the seashore, the people so thronged 
Him that He had to step into a boat and push off from 
the land, His eager hearers pressing down to the water's 
edge to catch His every word. No man had ever spoken 
like this Man. His words not only fell upon their ears, 
but sank into their souls, stirring them to higher 
thoughts and desires, to a sorrow for their sins which 
brought them peace, to a love of Him which drew them 
near to God. Wounds of body and of soul too sore for 
other handling His light touch healed. The poor, the 
ignorant, those of whom the world makes little account, 
went after Him in thousands, heedless of food and shel- 
ter, of everything — save the Face and the Voice of 
Jesus of Nazareth. 

Multitudes flocked after Him. But there was no 
multitude to Him. Each soul stood out before Him 
clear and distinct, with its needs, its troubles, its sins, 
its desires for better things. The little child, the 
widow, the eager youth, the trembling sinner, felt that 
He read them through and through, understood them, 
loved them, cared for their love, wanted to help them, 
to make them happy — and could do it. 

Gradually there gathered round Him a band of dis- 
ciples. From among these He chose twelve men to be 
His intimate companions and friends. He kept them 
constantly with Him, He carefully taught and trained 



JESUS OP NAZARETH. 19 

them, He let them into His secrets, He shared with 
them His miraculous powers, so that like Him they 
cast out devils, and cured the sick. He called them 
Apostles, that is, messengers sent, because they were to 
take His place and carry on His work when He should 
leave the earth. They were fishermen, most of them, 
rough and ignorant, but with simple, devoted hearts. 
Father, mother, home, everything they had in this 
world, they left for their Master's sake, ready to follow 
Him everywhere, even to prison and to death. 

For not all men revered Him for His holiness and 
wonderful works, and loved Him for His goodness. He 
had fierce enemies, men who were jealous of Him and 
hated Him for His teaching, His warnings, His mira- 
cles. During three years they slandered and perse- 
cuted Him. And at last they laid hands on Him, 
scourged Him as a slave, crowned Him with thorns as 
a mock king, nailed Him to a cross between thieves, and 
watched Him die in lingering agony. He was buried. 
His grave was sealed, and guards were set to watch. 

Then His enemies thought the world was rid of Him, 
and that they would hear His Name no more. But 
three days after His Crucifixion He rose from the tomb 
as He had foretold, and showed Himself to His friends. 
For forty days He went in and out among them, eat- 
ing with them, letting them touch His wounded hands 
and feet, giving them His last instructions. On the 
fortieth day after His Resurrection, He led His disci- 
ples to the top of Mount Olivet, and having blessed 
them, slowly rose above their heads into the heavens 
till a cloud received Him out of their sight. As they 
remained looking up into the sky, two Angels in white 
garments stood by them and said : " Ye men of Gali- 
lee, why stand you looking up to Heaven ? This Jesus 



20 JESUS OF NAZABETH. 

who is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come as 
you have seen Him going into Heaven." 

" This Jesus." Who was this wonderful Man ? Was 
He a true Man, and if so, was He more than Man? 
Pilate, the Roman Governor who condemned Him to 
death, was so struck by His calm majesty, His silence, 
and His patience in the midst of cruel injustice and 
pain, that he asked Him: " Whence art Thou? " He 
wanted to know if He was a mere man, or if there was 
any truth in the belief of many, that He was more than 
Man, that He was the Son of God. 

Pilate's Prisoner made him no answer, because none 
was needed. He had been three and thirty years in 
the world, and the question : " Whence art Thou ? " 
had been answered so plainly by the wonderful works 
He had done, that those only who were wilfully blind 
could help knowing who He was and whence He came. 

About five years after the Ascension of Christ into 
Heaven, a young man was hastening to Damascus to 
seize and punish all he could find, men and women who 
believed in Jesus of Nazareth. Suddenly, a light 
from Heaven shone round about him, and, falling on 
the ground, he heard a Voice saying to him : " Saul, 
Saul, why persecutest thou Me ? " And he said : " Who 
art Thou, Lord ? " And the Voice made answer : " I 
am Jesus whom thou persecutest."* 

That question and its answer changed the persecu- 
tor Saul into the great St. Paul. He came to know 
and love our Blessed Lord so well, that neither tribula- 
tion, nor danger, nor the sword, nor death, nor any 
creature, he said, could separate him from Him. 

Now the question of Pilate and of Saul was of im- 

* Acts ix. 5. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 21 

mense importance, not to themselves alone, but to every 
one of us. A more important question has never been 
asked; for, to know the truth about Jesus Christ, and 
to guide our lives by what we know, is the end for which 
we were sent into this world. 

We did not see what the people of His own land saw 
every day; but we have the story of His Life written 
by those who knew Him intimately, and it ought to be 
familiar to us all. Every man and woman, every boy 
and girl should know it well. It is of more importance 
to us by far than anything else we have to learn. It 
was written, not for mankind in general, but for each 
of us, one by one, that we might study it and copy its 
lessons into our own lives. 

These are days in which our belief in Jesus Christ 
must be firmly rooted if it is to be unshaken by the un- 
belief and indifference around us. We should try, 
then, to bring home to ourselves in every possible way 
the truth about Him — Who He is; what He came into 
this world to do; what we must do that He may not 
have come for us in vain. Let us ask, then, humbly 
and earnestly with St. Paul: 

" Who art Thou, Lord?" 



II. 



ON TRIAL. 



To find the answer to this question, we must go back 
a long way — before that time, nearly six thousand 
years ago, when human history began — right back to 
the Eternal Years. 

From all eternity God had lived alone; alone, but 
not lonely; One God in Three Persons, Father, Son, 
and Holy Ghost. ISTo sound broke the stillness of His 
Life; no events came, and went, and brought a change. 
He was infinitely happy; for in Himself He had all 
things. If there was to be life, beauty, joy, outside of 
Him, from Him it must come. 

And God willed these things should be. He would 
not keep always to Himself the happiness He could 
share with others, but would pour it out upon creatures 
able to know and love and enjoy Him. 

He created the Angels, noble and beautiful spirits, 
not made to be united to bodies. 

He created man, a being in some respects more won- 
derful than the Angels, because of the union of an im- 
mortal spirit with a body formed of the dust of the 
earth. And because God saw it was not good for man 
to be alone, He gave him a companion worthy of him. 
We are now so spoilt by sin that we can form no idea of 
those beautiful creatures of God in their state of inno- 
cence. We have never seen anything so noble and so 
lovely as Adam and Eve ; and what was hidden within 
was nobler and lovelier still. There was no darkness, 
nor ignorance, nor weakness. They understood the 

22 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 23 

laws by which this world is governed, the secrets of 
Mature which men are puzzling out now bit by bit. 
They had no evil passions, no liking for what is wrong. 
Their hearts were pure and loving; their wills were 
strong and right. 

They were perfect, then, in their human nature ; but 
God was not yet satisfied. He loved them so much 
that He enriched them with a gift altogether above their 
nature, with a supernatural gift called sanctifying 
grace, which made their souls beautiful in another and 
far higher way, and gave them a right to see Him face 
to face one day. They were to pass from a fair home 
on earth to the one prepared for them in Heaven, not 
by sickness and through the gate of death, but gently 
and painlessly as a child is carried in its father's arms 
from one room to another. 

Meantime He placed them in " the paradise of 
pleasure," a garden stored with everything that could 
serve them for use or enjoyment. No plants or flowers, 
no birds or beasts that we have ever seen can compare 
with those of that garden of theirs. The animals 
great and small reverenced and obeyed them, came at 
their call, gambolled about them, ate from their hand. 
All was in order there. The irrational creatures were 
subject to Adam and Eve, and they themselves were 
subject with joy and gratitude to the God who had 
given them all. 

Here, then, in " the paradise of pleasure," the father 
and mother of us all were placed on trial. 

Yes, on trial. For it was the Will of God that both 
Angels and men should have the happiness which was 
prepared for them increased by meriting or deserving 
it. Therefore He gave them free will, or the power 



24 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

to choose good or evil. He loves a cheerful, loving 
service, and He determined that by an act of obedience 
His reasonable creatures should win their everlasting 
reward. What the trial of the Angels was we do not 
know. All we know is that one-third of them were 
unfaithful to God, and, with full knowledge of the 
wickedness of their act, rebelled against Him and were 
lost forever. 

Like Adam and Eve, the Angels were created in a 
state of sanctifying grace. They were very dear and 
precious in the sight of God. But sin is so hateful to 
Him, that for that one deliberate act of rebellion 
against Him He took from them that priceless gift of 
grace, and drove them from the brightness of His 
Presence into everlasting darkness. 

But He did not take from them their natural gifts, 
their clear intellect, their strong will. And these they 
now determined to use against Him by leading into 
their own rebellion those favoured children of His in 
Paradise. Thus it was more hatred of God than envy 
of these heirs of Heaven that led Satan to plan the 
destruction of Adam and Eve. It would never do to 
tempt them openly, for sin had made him so ugly that 
they would have been frightened of him. So he dis- 
guised himself, and fitly took the form of a serpent. 

See Eve in her beauty and innocence walking alone 
through the garden. She is supremely happy. She is 
the dear child of God ; she has all she can desire. Sud- 
denly she comes upon the serpent coiled round the foot 
of a tree, " the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." 
It is a mysterious name and reminds the owners of this 
fair garden that God who has given it to them is Master 
still. For He has said: 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 25 

" Of every tree of Paradise thou shalt eat. But of 
the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not 
eat. Eor in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, 
thou shalt die the death." 

A simple command, but a very solemn one. Diso- 
bedience to it would make them lose the grace and 
favour of God, and deserve His most dreadful punish- 
ments in this world and in the next. They know, then, 
all that depends on that tree, and never pass it without 
a feeling of awe. 

Eve is surprised to see the serpent there and stops to 
look at him. The serpent begins to talk and she listens : 

" Why do you not eat of the fruit of this tree ? " he 



Notice how he begins his first temptation as he has 
begun so many since, by trying to make God appear 
hard. 

A little Spanish girl who heard this story for the 
first time said : " Eve should not have listened ; she 
should have made the sign of the Cross and gone down 
another walk." But Eve did listen. She looked up 
shyly and wistfully at the tree and said: 

" God hath commanded us that we should not eat, 
lest perhaps we die." 

" Die ! " answered the tempter, " no, you shall not 
die." 

And then he makes a show of trusting her with a 
secret. There is always something fascinating about a 
secret. Eve is curious and draws nearer. 

" God doth know," he goes on, " that in what day 
soever you shall eat thereof your eyes shall be opened 
and you shall be as Gods." 

This was what enticed her. It was not gluttony, 
but curiosity and ambition that were her ruin To 



26 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

see what would happen; to be as Gods, this was what 
she wanted; as to the punishment she would risk it. 
She stretched out her hand, plucked the fruit, and ate 
it. Oh, what a change came over her in that moment ! 
When Adam saw her a minute later, the blush of guilt 
was on her face, her peace and happiness were gone. 

She told him what she had done, and at first he was 
shocked and terrified. At first — and then came his 
temptation, but in a different form from hers. She 
was his tempter. She used her influence with him, 
and his love for her to make him fall. She tempted 
him even with the appearance of good. " God has 
given us to each other ; we have been so happy together ; 
we must go together now. We must perish — if it is a 
case of perishing — together." 

And she gave him the fruit, and he ate it. In that 
instant Adam fell from grace and the whole human race 
fell with him. Had he remained faithful, we should 
all have come into the world with souls beautiful and 
pleasing in the sight of God. We should have had our 
trial, but had we fallen no one would have been ruined 
but ourselves. Had Eve alone fallen, her sin would 
not have harmed us. It is because Adam is the father 
and the origin or head of the race that his fall has 
hurt us, that we are all born into this world without 
grace, in disgrace until by Baptism this original sin is 
taken away. 

This is soon said, but it would need Adam and Eve 
themselves to tell us what it means, to make us under- 
stand how miserably unhappy they were after their 
sin. God used to come and walk with them in Para- 
dise in the cool afternoon air, and they rushed forward 
to meet Him. Now they trembled when they heard 
His voice calling them. When people agree together 



JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 



27 



to do wrong, they turn upon one another when the 
wrong is found out and they are called to account. 
Adam laid the blame upon Eve, Eve upon the serpent. 
Then came God's terrible words of punishment: 

" In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till 
thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken: 
for dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return." 

Innocence, happiness, freedom from pain and death, 
the possession of the paradise of pleasure — all lost and 
lost forever: suffering and death, and all the evils of 
this life let in upon the earth through them; the gates 
of Heaven closed, and those of Hell opened by their 
hands — this was what came of that one sin. For the 
punishment they deserved was not only the death of 
the body but the everlasting death of the soul. They 
had shared the rebellion of the bad angels ; it was just 
they should share their condemnation. 

But God had pity on them and on us. Their sin, 
though great and inexcusable, was less than that of the 
angels. They had indeed risen up in rebellion against 
the Infinite God, yet not with such clear knowledge ; and 
they had been tempted. Moreover, each of the fallen 
angels had himself done the evil for which he was 
justly punished. But Adam's unhappy children had 
lost all by an act that was not their own. 

Perhaps it was for these reasons that God determined 
to save the race of man. He could have done this by 
granting a free pardon to us. But to show the hate- 
fulness of sin, and still more His exceeding love for us, 
He willed that we should be redeemed; that is, bought 
back; and that our Bedeemer should be no other than 
His own Eternal Son, the Second Person of the Holy 
Trinity, equal to the Father in all things. It was de- 



28 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

creed by the Three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, that a full and perfect satisfaction or com- 
pensation for the evil done should be offered to God. 
Now, for this two things were necessary. He who was 
to make the satisfaction must be equal to God, or it 
would not be infinite and enough; and He must be 
man, too, because man who had sinned must satisfy for 
sin. 

~No Angel, however high, nor all Angels and men to- 
gether, could make this sufficient atonement. God him- 
self must do it if it was to be done. And God was 
ready. Not counting the cost, thinking only of our 
misery and of His own love, the Second Person offered 
Himself to satisfy fully for our sins — for the first or 
original sin, which was not our own act, but his who 
was the origin and father of us all, and for those sins, 
too, which are our own free act. 

All this load of sin which men have heaped up from 
the beginning against the Majesty of God, which we 
have each of us helped to increase, the Son of God took 
upon Himself, to suffer for in our stead, and thus re- 
open for us the gates of Heaven, which otherwise would 
have been closed against us forever. In place of Adam 
who had ruined us, another Head was given us in our 
dear Lord Jesus Christ. He was to put all right. He 
was to come and live amongst us a hard, suffering Life, 
and then to die upon the Cross for each of us one by 
one. Well may the Church cry out: 

" O happy fault that has had such a Eedeemer ! " 



III. 



THE PROMISED ONE. 



Some people ask : " Why did God put our first 
parents to this trial when He knew they would fall 
under it, and knew the terrible consequence to them- 
selves and to all their children % " 

The first and chief reason is because He is Lord and 
Master. He can do what He wills, and all that He does 
is not only right and good, but the best, as we shall see 
some day. 

Another reason is this : Though God can never will 
what is evil, He can and does continually bring good 
out of evil. The fall of Adam and Eve, and with them 
of the whole human family, was a frightful evil, but 
out of this harm God has brought the greatest good. 

By coming amongst us and becoming one of us, in 
order to put right again what was so wrong, He has 
done more than put all right. He has given us much 
more than we had lost. And His best gift to us is — 
Himself. Since the Incarnation we no longer think 
of Him as far away in Heaven, where we can scarcely 
reach Him even by thought, but as one of ourselves — 
a Man who could be seen, and heard, and handled, a 
Man with a country and a family, with ancestors good 
and bad, with a Mother and a home; a Man with 
friends and enemies; a Man with a certain character 
and ways, with His likes and dislikes, with His sor- 
rows and His joys. This Man is our God, the God 
whom we have to adore and love. Can we not do this 
easily now, when He has come so near to us that we may 
study Him and know Him almost as we know a neigh- 

29 



30 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

bour of next door? Truly God knows how to draw 
good out of evil ! 

We must notice, for they are very important, the 
words in which the Redeemer was promised by God 
Himself. 

As soon as Adam and Eve had sinned, they, for the 
first time, were afraid of God. "And when they heard 
the voice of the Lord God walking in Paradise at the 
afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves amidst 
the trees of Paradise. 

And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: 
Where art thou ? 

And he said: I heard Thy voice, and I was afraid, 
and I hid myself. 

And He said to him: Thou hast eaten of the tree 
whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat. 

And Adam said : The woman whom Thou gavest me 
to be my companion gave me of the tree and I did ©at. 

And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast 
thou done this? 

And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I 
did eat. 

And the Lord God said to the serpent : Because thou 
hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all beasts 
of the earth. I will put enmities between thee and the 
woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy 
head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel." 

Thus from the beginning, and in the words of God 
Himself, are the Redeemer and His Mother placed to- 
gether, just as we see them in our pictures and statues. 
There is to be enmity, that is, hatred and warfare, be- 
tween her and her Divine Child on one side, and all 
the brood of the serpent, the wicked angels, on the 



JESUS OF NAZABETH. 31 

other. She through her Son is to crush the serpent's 
head, and the serpent in revenge will lie in wait for her 
other children, all those of whom her Son has made 
Himself the Brother. 

As the Kedeemer has His types or figures all through 
the long years when the world was waiting for Him, so 
has His Mother hers. And when at last He came, the 
word of God again places together the Mother and her 
Child. Those who seek Him find " the Child with 
Mary His Mother." In sorrow and in joy they are 
side by side. " Take the Child and His Mother," is 
the order when the Babe has to fly for His life. At a 
marriage feast " the Mother of Jesus was there, and 
Jesus also was invited." She followed Him about dur- 
ing His preaching. And when at last He redeemed the 
world with His Blood, " there stood by the Cross of 
Jesus His Mother." We must never separate what 
God Himself has thus joined together. 

How hard the life of Adam and Eve must have been 
during their nine hundred years of penance! Could 
those who had known the paradise of pleasure ever get 
used to the world outside ! " Cursed is the earth in 
thy work," God had said to Adam; "with labour and 
toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life. 
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. In the 
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return 
to the earth out of which thou wast taken: for dust 
thou art and into dust thou shalt return." 

But hard labour was only a small part of their pen- 
ance. What must it have been to see on every side, as 
time went on, the evil fruits of their sin ; not only dis- 
ease and death, but death in its most frightful form — to 
see their first child a murderer, and the murderer of his 



32 JESUS OF NAZABETH. 

brother! We can picture them sitting sadly hand in 
hand after Abel's death, recalling the time when wicked- 
ness and pain and sorrow were things unknown. 

One comfort alone was left to them — the Promise, 
that Promise which had brightened their last moments 
in Paradise, and now shed its cheering light on the 
dark world outside. How far they understood what it 
meant, we cannot tell. But they built all their hopes 
on it, and handed it on to their children and children's 
children to be guarded as their most precious bequest. 
And when at last they left this world and went to that 
place of rest called Limbo, where the souls of the just 
were detained till the gates of Heaven should be re- 
opened, it was to wait with eager expectation for His 
Coming who was to undo and more than undo all the 
harm their sin had done. 

Century after century went by, and still He did not 
come. But the Promise became fuller and clearer, as 
a river, small at its source, broadens by the streams that 
flow into it. The race, the tribe, the family, and at 
last the time of His Coming, were made known. The 
kind of man He would be, His work, His sufferings, 
His death, were foretold vaguely indeed, here and there, 
yet with sufficient clearness to enable man to recognize 
Him when He came. The life of other men is written 
after their death. But God, who knows all things and 
who had arranged even the smallest circumstances of 
the Life of His Divine Son, would have the main events 
of His history written long before His Birth. 

He was to save men not only after His Coming but 
before. His Precious Blood flows backward as well 
as forward, and by It, all those who will ever reach Hea- 
ven, from Adam and Eve downwards, will enter there. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 33 

Therefore, even before He came, God would have 
men know something of Him to whom the whole human 
family owes all the happiness it has in this life as well 
as all it hopes for in the next. They could not know 
Him as fully as we do who have the story of His Life 
in our hands and can study it every day if we will. 
But it is wonderful how much God did tell men by 
means of His prophets. These were holy men to whom 
He showed now this event, now that in the Life of Him 
who was to come. Were we to put together all that the 
prophets told of Him, we should find His Life was 
written hundreds of years before He came. 

Men knew He was to be of the race of Abraham, 
therefore a Jew, of the Tribe of Judah, of the family of 
David. 

His Mother was to be a Virgin : " Behold a virgin 
shall conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be 
called Emmanuel, which being interpreted, is God with 
us." * 

He was to be born in Bethlehem : "And thou, Bethle- 
hem, art a little one among the thousands of Juda; out 
of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be the 
Kuler in Israel." f 

He would be meek and humble of Heart, compassion- 
ate and forgiving. " I will seek that which was lost, 
and I will bind up that which was broken, and I will 
strengthen that which was weak." X 

He would go about doing good : " Then shall the 
eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf 
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, 
and the tongue of the dumb shall be free." § 

In spite of His wonderful works and His miracles of 

* Isaias vii., Matth. i. f Micheas v. \ Ezeehiel xxxiv. \ IsaiaS xxxv, 

3 



34 JESTJS OF NAZABETH. 

mercy, He would be hated and rejected by His own 
people : " Despised and the most abject of men, a 
man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity.' 7 * 

One of His chosen friends would sell Him to His 
enemies: "And they weighed for My wages thirty 
pieces of silver." f 

He would be scourged and spit upon, and buffeted, 
and crucified : "I have given my body to the strikers 
and my cheeks to them that plucked them; I have not 
turned away my face from them that rebuked me and 
spat upon me." % " They have dug my hands and 
feet. They have numbered all my bones. They have 
parted my garments among them, and upon my ves- 
ture they cast lots." § 

After death He was to rise again: " For Thou wilt 
not leave my soul in hell, nor suffer Thy Holy One to 
see corruption." || 

These prophecies belonged to God's chosen people the 
Jews, who guarded them jealously, and studied them 
with diligence and delight, those especially that told 
of the Messiah's greatness and power : " I will make 
Him higher than the kings of the earth." 5 " Sit thou 
at My right hand until I make thine enemies thy foot- 
stool." ** They took these words to mean that He 
was to be a great king of this world who would make 
their nation the grandest of the earth, and give them 
in abundance honours, riches and all the pleasant things 
of this life. But other prophecies quite as clear which 
described Him as " a Man of sorrows, a Leper, One 
struck by God and afflicted," they passed by unnoticed. 
And when He came poor and lowly, a King indeed 

* Isaias liii. t Iaaias i. || Ps. xvi. ** Ps. ex. 

•f Zaehary xi. | Ps. xxi. f Ps. lxxxix. 



JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 35 

not of this world, they would not own Him for the 
Messiah of the prophets, but persecuted Him and put 
Him to death. 

There was another way by which the world was pre- 
pared for the coming Redeemer. As He was foretold 
in prophecy, so He was foreshadowed in types or fig- 
ures, by which we mean certain persons or things in 
the Old Law representing persons or things in the ¥ew. 

We all know that there is nothing like a picture for 
giving right notions and correcting wrong ones. A 
teacher who has anything difficult to explain — the 
structure of a flower, the plan of a battle, the family of 
a king — turns at once to the blackboard, and with a 
few strokes of chalk shows easily what many words 
would never have made clear. 

God taught His people by examples as well as by 
words. In a number of types He sketched before their 
eyes the character of the Messiah and the main lines of 
the work He was to do. The likeness fell far short of 
the perfect beauty of our Lord's character, but it was 
a likeness still. 

Innocent Abel, slain through jealousy by his brother, 
was a figure of Christ put to death through the hatred 
and envy of His brethren, the Jews: 

~Noe who built an ark, one only, to save all who 
entered therein, prefigured our Lord, the Founder of 
one Church for the salvation of men: 

Isaac, the beloved son of his father, willingly sub- 
mitting to death, and carrying the wood on which he 
was to be sacrified, represented the well beloved Son of 
God led without resistance to the slaughter, and bearing 
His own cross on the way to Calvary. 



36 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

We can all see how the following were types of our 
Lord: 

Joseph sold for twenty pieces of silver, thrown into 
prison with two criminals, then raised to honour and 
becoming the saviour of his people: 

Moses, saved from death in his infancy ; sent by God 
to deliver his people from a cruel bondage, and lead 
them safely through the desert to the land of promise; 
fasting forty days; giving the Law to the people of 
God; feeding them with bread from Heaven; deliver- 
ing them from their enemies; working miracles for 
them again and again, yet saddened by their murmur- 
ing and ingratitude: 

David, born in Bethlehem; rebelled against by his 
subjects; insulted in his affliction; followed by a faith- 
ful few; gentle, merciful, and patient. 

These in their character reflect our Lord's beautiful 
virtues. 

Others, such as Josue, Samson, Jonas, Solomon, in 
their actions foreshadow His. In many of their acts 
we may see but little resemblance to our Lord's, and in 
some what is very unlike. But this does not prevent 
their being types of Him. All such types, and others, 
such as the Paschal Lamb, the Brazen Serpent, the 
Manna, are like little bits of mosaic that have to be 
pieced together to make up a beautiful and perfect 
picture. The Son of God Was not coming on earth in 
blinding light and majesty, as men might have im- 
agined, but in poverty, and humility. It was to help 
them to recognize Him as God without the glory of 
God about Him that such an abundance of type and 
prophecy was provided. 

Time went on. IsTearly four thousand years had 




JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Honour thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest be long- 
lived upon the land." — Ex. 20. 12. 



JESUS OF NAZABETH. 39 

passed since the Great Promise was made in Paradise. 
One Empire had followed another, conquering and 
conquered in its turn. And now the whole world was 
in peace, for mighty Rome had crushed every rival. 
But peace did not mean that men were happy. ISTever 
had they been more miserable. The worship of false 
gods had brought them so low, that animals, trees, 
stones, wicked things even — theft, rebellion against 
parents, cruelty, murder, bad passions of every kind 
— nay, the very devils themselves, were adored as gods. 

The strong cruelly oppressed the weak. Men and 
women were so given up to the pleasure of soft, self- 
indulgent lives, that their hearts were hardened against 
the sight of pain and misery. The weak and the help- 
less — children, slaves, the poor, the old, the sick, were 
treated with a barbarity that only the most frightful 
selfishness can explain. 

Truly the world needed its Saviour ! 

The Jewish prophecies were known far and wide, 
and all over the East there was the expectation of a 
Deliverer who was to appear in Judea. !N"o man knew 
exactly what He was to do, but He would reform the 
world in some way, set right all that was wrong, and 
bring a golden age to the earth. 

Among the Jews themselves there was naturally a 
more eager waiting and watching. They knew the 
prophecies by heart. They could tell better than the 
heathen what the work of the Messiah was to be. And 
now that the time was at hand, the best among them 
were earnestly praying for the speedy coming of those 
Promised Ones, the Woman who was to be the serpent's 
enemy, and her Child who was to redeem the world. 



THE CHILDHOOD 

AND 

THE HIDDEN LIFE 



41 



IV. 



A JOYFUL SURPRISE. 

Before our Lord came, the holiest place in the world 
was the Temple of Jerusalem. Only there would God 
allow sacrifice to be offered, and there twice a day it was 
offered — a little lamb was slain, and the smoke of sweet- 
smelling incense rose from the golden altar in the Holy 
Place. At the hour of incense the people assembled in 
their part of the Temple, the open Courts, and prayed 
silently, in union with the priest who was within. 

One day there was a great stir among them. A priest 
whose name was Zachary had been a long time in the 
Holy Place, and when he came out he was trembling — 
and dumb. What had happened % They crowded round 
him to ask, but he made signs to show he could not 
speak. The news spread fast that Zachary had seen 
something wonderful, and that he looked as if he had 
heard good news. 

Good news ! Indeed he had ; he was dumb because 
he had thought it too good to be true. For many years 
he and his wife Elizabeth had longed to have a child, in 
the hope that the Messiah, now so near, might be of 
their family. But God had not seen good to hear 
their prayer, and when all expectation was gone, they 
had made His Will their own, and encouraged one 
another to bear their disappointment bravely. 

Now, on this day, just as Zachary was going to pour 
the incense upon the flame, he saw a glorious vision — 
an Angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the 
altar. And seeing him he was troubled, and fear fell 
upon him. But the Angel said to him : 

43 



44 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

" Fear not, Zachary, for thy prayer is heard." 

Then he went on to tell him that Elizabeth should 
have a son who should bring gladness to many. Even 
as a little child he would be great before God, and when 
he was grown up he would convert many of his people 
and prepare them for the coming of the Messiah. 

Bewildered by such a joyful surprise, Zachary asked 
how he should know all this was true. 

" I am Gabriel, who stand before God," was the 
answer, " and am sent to speak to thee, and to bring thee 
these good tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, 
and shalt not be able to speak until the day wherein 
these things shall come to pass, because thou hast not 
believed my words which shall be fulfilled in their 
time." So Zachary had the sign he asked, though it 
was a punishment too because of his unbelief. 

Good news, as well as bad, travels fast, and when a 
week later he returned to his home at Ain-Karim, in 
the hill country of Judea, he found that Elizabeth had 
heard all that people knew about the vision in the 
Temple. She came out to meet him, anxious, yet, some- 
how, full of joyful expectation. He laid his finger on 
his lips, sent for his writing tablets, and, with a tremb- 
ling hand, wrote down all that had passed. Then they 
rejoiced together, and thanked God for His goodness to 
them, and waited in quiet happiness for the fulfilment 
of His promise. 

Weeks passed by, and months. Priest after priest 
went by turn into the Holy Place to offer incense, and 
Zachary's vision came to be forgotten. But not by all. 
Not by those who noted every sign of the Messiah being 
at hand. There was an old man in Jerusalem who had a 
promise from God that he should not die till he had seen 
the Christ of the Lord. There was an aged woman who 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 45 

departed not from the Temple, serving night and day 
lest she should miss the Lord at His Coming. Snch as 
these did not forget. And all over the world, wherever 
Jews were to be found, were eager hearts praying Him 
to come quickly. 

Where was the most eager ? Was it in Jerusalem 
among the doctors of the Law, whose life was spent in 
the study of the prophecies ? Was it the High Priest's, 
or that holy old man's, or the aged woman's, or Zach- 
ary's, or Elizabeth's \ 

~No* Not in Jerusalem, nor among the learned, nor 
those who had grown old in the service of God. Where 
then? 



V. 



HOLY MARY. 

Have you ever watched the clouds on a wild day hid- 
ing the sun ? They move along, a dark, heavy mass, as 
if determined to keep his light from the waiting world. 
At times, through the rifts, you catch a glimpse of him ; 
or there is a golden border which shows he is somewhere 
near. You think he must be coming soon. But no, it 
is all too dark for him yet. Suddenly, in the midst of 
the gloom appears a little white cloud. It grows bright, 
brighter and brighter as he fills it with his glory. Yes, 
surely he is there; only his splendour could make it 
shine like that. A few moments at most and he must 
show himself; a few moments and he will scatter the 
darkness and flood the earth with light. 

Hidden among the mountains of Galilee, amid a pro- 
fusion of wild flowers, lies the village of Nazareth, the 
houses, small, low, with flat roofs, looking like little 
white boxes set on the slope of the hill. That one, half 
cottage, half rock, the lowest in the steep street, is the 
home of Joseph, the carpenter of the place. All things 
are in quiet silence. Night is in the midst of her 
course. ~No light anywhere, except the stars overhead, 
and they shine out brightly in the clear, frosty air, for 
it is the month of March. Yes ! a lamp is burning in 
that last house. Who can be the watcher there when 
all the village is asleep ? Let us go in noiselessly and 
see. 

Alone in her little room kneels a girl of fourteen. 
What a wonderful face! so grave and yet so sweet, so 

46 



THE ANNUNCIATION. 



"And the Angel being come in, 
grace, the Lord is with 



said unto her: Hail, full of 
thee." — Luke I. 28. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 49 

childlike and innocent, and still so full of dignity. She 
must be very near to God. A great reverence comes 
over us as we gaze upon her, and we fall on our knees. 
This can be no ordinary child. Let us go back four- 
teen years and learn what we can about her. 

Her name is Miriam, or Mary, which means " Lady," 
and also " Star of the Sea." Her holy parents, Joa- 
chim and Anne, had prayed long and earnestly for a 
child to gladden their old age before this blessed child 
was given them. Who shall ever tell what she was to 
them ! They were never tired of watching her at 
prayer or play, and when she thought herself alone; 
and they soon found out that she knew more about God 
and holy things than they could tell her. It seemed to 
them that God Himself was her Teacher, and they 
reverenced her as one very precious in His sight. 
What would have been their awe and their joy had they 
known that she was to be the Mother of His only Son ! 
Yes, she was to be the woman promised long ago in 
Paradise who was to crush the serpent's head, the 
Mother of Him who was to redeem the world, the Mo- 
ther of God. And God was getting her ready for this. 
Think what a preparation it must have been. 

Solomon's Temple was many years building because 
everything in it had to be of such costly material — 
marbles, and sweet-scented, incorruptible cedar, and 
precious stones, all " artfully wrought and carved. The 
floor of the house was overlaid with gold within and 
without, and there was nothing in the Temple that was 
not gold or covered with gold — the altar of gold, and 
the table of gold, and the golden candlesticks of pure 
gold, and flowers like lilies, and the lamps over them 
of gold, and golden snuffers, and censers of most pure 
gold, and the hinges for the doors of the inner house 



50 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

of the Holy of Holies* gold, pure gold, most pure gold." 
Why? Because everything about this house of God 
must be as far as possible worthy of Him. Yet the 
Temple of Jerusalem, with its Holy of Holies, its Ark 
of the Covenant, and its Tables of the Law, what was it 
compared with that Blessed One whom He had chosen 
to be His Mother? What must He do to make her 
worthy, as far as she could be worthy, to have God for 
her Son? 

First of all there must be no sin. When we are going 
to embroider richly on white satin, we take care to see 
that it is spotless. It would be wasting our silk and 
our gold thread to lay them on what is soiled, or ever 
has been soiled. God prizes spotlessness more than we 
do. He was going to enrich His Mother with His best 
gifts, and the first must be a perfect purity. No stain 
of sin must so much as come near her. She must be 
more dazzling in her whiteness than the Angels who 
come nearest His throne. 

But what about original sin? was not Mary a child 
of Adam ? Yes ; and she would have been stained with 
Adam's sin had not God kept her free because of her 
nearness to Himself. She was not cleansed from origi- 
nal sin as babies are when they have been baptized, for 
no sin of any kind ever touched her. 

Some people cannot understand why Mary should 
have had this perfect freedom from sin which we call 
the Immaculate Conception. It would be clear as day 
to them if they would think who Mary is. A Protes- 
tant lady, who had this difficulty, was asked: 

" Do you believe that Jesus Christ the Son of Mary 
is truly God?" 

" I do," she answered reverently. 

* III Kings yi., vii. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 51 

"And is there anything God could do for His Mother 
that He would not for His own sake be bound to do ?" 

She was silent for a moment, and then said : " I do 
not think there is." 

It was the Precious Blood that even before our Lord 
came saved Mary so grandly, and preserved her from 
the sin that has spoilt everyone else : " My spirit hath 
rejoiced in God my Saviour," she says. " For He that 
is mighty hath done great things to me." 

Imagine a burning mountain throwing up flames and 
volumes of smoke; the burning lava pouring down the 
sides, destroying fields, vineyards, cottages, cattle. 
Down it rushes, leaving everything a black ruin behind 
it. Down, down, till it is suddenly checked before a 
fair garden that lies in its way; checked and turned 
aside, so that no harm is done, and the trees and flowers 
and fruit look all the more lovely for the desolation 
around. 

So was the torrent of original sin stayed when it 
came to Mary. 

When the little Mary was three years old, she was 
carried by her parents to the Temple to be solemnly 
offered to God. She understood quite well what she 
was going to do. She knew that God had done great 
things for her, and she wanted to give herself entirely 
to Him, that He might do just as He liked with her 
always, whether it was what she liked or not. With her 
hands joined, her face bright with holy joy, she went up 
alone the fifteen steps, her parents looking on with ad- 
miration and gladness. And with sorrow, too. 'For 
they were going to leave her in the Temple to be brought 
up with other Jewish girls, and they thought how sad 
and lonely they would be without her. 



52 JESTTS OP XAZAEETH. 

As she grew older Mary spent her time in prayer, in 
working for the Temple, and in studying the holy 
Scriptures. The parts she liked best were the prophe- 
cies which told of the promised Redeemer. She knew 
His time was come. Perhaps He was even now upon 
earth. Perhaps His Mother might be in want of a 
little servant. Oh, how happy she would be to wait 
upon them both ! 

When she was about fourteen years old, she left her 
home in the Temple to be espoused to Joseph, a car- 
penter, and to take care of a little home of her own at 
Nazareth. Her life was different now. ~No more glori- 
ous services morning and evening, but a life of work, 
and of very humble work. But she was content, more 
than content ; she was quite happy, and she made Joseph 
happy by her brightness, her tenderness, her sweet, un- 
selfish ways. As he came to know her more and more, 
he was filled with the deepest reverence for her, child 
though she was. And he was worthy of her, for he 
came next to her in holiness and nearness to God. He 
was trusted with the greatest treasure God had on earth, 
and he was about to be trusted with One more precious 
still. 



VI. 



HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. 

Let us go back now to that night in March and see 
Mary kneeling in her little room in prayer. Her 
heart is full, fuller to-night than ever with the thought 
that fills it always. When, when will He come ? Why 
does He delay so long? Oh, that He would rend the 
heavens and come down! 

Her lamp burns low as she prays on. How reverent 
she is, how still. Her strong prayer is moving God 
Himself. 

See ! See ! in the midst of a dazzling light, not of thij 
world, an Angel stands before her. He comes near, 
and, kneeling, salutes her : 

" Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee : blessed 
art thou amongst women! " 

What glorious praise, and from one so high and 
holy! For this is Gabriel, one of the seven who stand 
before God. How will she answer him ? 

There is no answer. A blush, a troubled look is on 
her beautiful face as she thinks within herself what 
manner of salutation this may be. She knows we can- 
not always trust those who speak to us in words of 
praise, and surely such words as these are not for her. 
Is this a messenger from God ? She will be silent till 
he speaks again. 

The Angel sees her trouble and says : 

"Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. 
Behold, thou shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt 
call His name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be 
4 53 



54 JESUS OF ETAZARETH. 

called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God 
shall give unto Him the throne of David His father, 
and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and 
of His kingdom there shall be no end." 

See her listening, coming to understand that she, the 
little handmaid of the Lord, is to be the Mother of the 
Messiah. Does she break forth into words of thanks- 
giving and praise ? No, she has a question to ask, for 
she is not sure jet what God wants. Long ago she 
promised to belong only to Him, to be His little hand- 
maid or servant all her life. She does not know if she 
can do this and be the Mother of the Messiah as well, 
and she will not break her promise to God for anything. 
She is quite calm and mistress of herself. Gabriel has 
told her that her Son shall be the Son of the Most 
High, that of His Kingdom there shall be no end — and 
she is not excited or overjoyed. She knows from the 
prophecies that the Messiah is to be a Man of Sorrows, 
and that His Mother will have to share His pains — and 
she is not frightened. All she wants is to know the 
Will of God. 

The great Archangel beholds her with profoundest 
admiration. There is no holiness in heaven to equal 
this. He thought he knew how far the love of God 
and forgetfulness of self can go, but the little Maiden 
of Nazareth has taken him by surprise. He under- 
stands now the full meaning of those reverent words 
which God Himself put upon his lips : " Hail, full 
of grace ! " He bows lower before her — see how low ! 
This is he who in words of majesty rebuked the aged 
priest of the Temple. But in Mary's presence, what a 
difference ! He speaks to her as to one far above him ; 
he waits while she ponders what he has said; he solves 
her doubts; he waits for her reply. 



JESUS OF NAZABETH. 55 

When at length she is satisfied that it is God's Will 
she should be the Mother of the Messiah, and that He 
wants her consent, thinking neither of the dignity nor of 
the pain this will bring upon her, she bows her head 
and says : 

" Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto 
me according to thy word." 

And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us. 

And the Angel returned to God who sent him ; and all 
Heaven was made glad that night. 



VII. 

mahy's song. 

* 

God often tells His secrets to His friends. He bade 
Gabriel tell Mary of the happiness his good news had 
brought to Zackary and Elizabeth, and now He Him- 
self tells Elizabeth of the dignity that had come to Mary. 
The two were cousins, and Mary thought it would be 
kind to go to Ain-Karim to visit her relatives and make 
herself useful in the house. She would much rather 
have stayed at home just now, but she did not listen to 
likes and dislikes; when God put a good thought into 
her mind, or wanted a service of her, she obeyed at 
once. And so, without considering it beneath her to 
serve others, or lay her hands to household work, she 
set off in haste on her long journey. 

~No one, not even Joseph whom she loved so tenderly, 
had been told of Gabriel's visit, for Mary disliked notice 
as much as some young girls seek it, and she was afraid 
of honour and praise. One of the prophets had said: 
" My secret to myself, my secret to myself." This was 
Mary's rule all her life through. 

We are not told whether she went alone, but it is 
most unlikely. If Joseph did not go with her, she 
probably joined some of her relatives who were on their 
way to the Holy City. At last she came upon the rising 
ground of Judea, and, climbing the rugged side of a 
mountain, found herself at the door of Zachary's home. 

Elizabeth was standing on the threshold as if expect- 
ing someone. Mary hastened towards her, and saluted 
her with loving words. But what was her surprise 
when the aged woman, instead of returning her embrace, 
sank on her knees and cried out: 

56 




THE HOLY NIGHT. 

This day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, 
in the city of David.''' — Luke 2. 11. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 59 

" Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the 
fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the 
Mother of my Lord should come to me ? " 

Her secret, then, was known. God, Himself, must 
have told Elizabeth. Mary's heart was full, full to 
overflowing. She could not keep back its burst of joy 
and praise : 

" My soul doth magnify the Lord,' 7 she said, " and 
my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because 
He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for 
behold from henceforth all generations shall call me 
blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great 
things to me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is 
from generation unto generations to them that fear Him. 
He hath shewed might in His arm; He hath scattered 
the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put 
down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the 
humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things, 
and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath re- 
ceived Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy, 
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his 
seed for ever." 

Elizabeth listened in silence and in awe. She knew 
by heart the triumphant hymns of God's servants in the 
past, but there was not one like this. Mary's song was 
the sweetest earth had ever heard. It sank into the 
heart of the aged saint. It sounds through the Church 
for ever. Every day it is on the lips of thousands of 
her children. It teaches us many lessons, and among 
them this — that it is not proud and wrong to know that 
we have gifts of God entrusted to us, gifts of fortune, 
gifts of body or of mind. There is no harm in knowing 
we are well off, or good-looking, or clever, or kind- 
hearted. Harm comes in when we forget that whatever 



60 JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 

good we have is the gift of God and that we shall have 
to account to Him for it, and that in the meantime we 
have to use it in His service who gave it. 

Mary understood as no other will ever do what "great 
things " God had done for her, things so great that all 
generations should call her blessed. But all the glory 
was His. Of herself she was nothing, and had nothing. 
She rejoiced in God her Saviour as we do, only more, 
because He had done more for her. She magnified the 
Lord as we should do, because He had looked down on 
the humility, that is, the littleness of His handmaid. 

It is no humility, then, to pretend not to know what 
God has done for us. The really humble, like the grate- 
ful poor, are quick to acknowledge kindness and to show 
themselves thankful. Gratitude and humility go hand 
in hand. There is no better shield against vanity and 
self-conceit than Mary's words : " He who is mighty 
hath done great things for me ; " and when our hearts 
are stirred to praise God for His goodness to us, we shall 
find none more fitting than those of her beautiful Mag- 
nificat 

For three months Mary stayed with her cousin, and 
all that time God's richest blessings were poured out 
upon the family of Zachary, because of her presence 
there. At the first sound of her voice the Holy Ghost 
had so inspired Elizabeth that she reechoed Gabriel's 
words : " Blessed art thou among women," adding to 
them the praise of Mary's Son : " Blessed is the fruit 
of thy womb." When we repeat these words in the 
Hail Mary, it will help us to remember the reverence 
with which they were said by an Archangel and a saint 
at the feet of her whom Elizabeth called " the Mother 
of my Lord." 



VIII. 

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS NIGHT. 

At last the time came when Joseph too was to know 
what the Angel of the Lord had declared unto Mary. 
An Angel, perhaps Gabriel again, came to tell him who 
she was that swept and washed and cooked in his little 
cottage, and went about her daily work as the simplest 
and lowliest of the women around. He told him, too, 
that her Child was to be called JESUS, because He 
would save His people from their sins. 

Think with what new veneration Joseph looked upon 
Mary now, and what quiet, deep talks they had together. 
They pondered the words of holy Scripture; they 
studied the types; they put prophecy by the side of 
prophecy. Because their hearts were so pure, they saw 
better than the learned doctors of the Law the meaning 
of these types and prophecies, and they wondered more 
and more that they should have been chosen to be so 
near to Jesus when He came. That blessed Name at 
which St. Paul says every knee should bow, each had 
first heard from an Angel's lips. How reverently they 
pronounced it. To the world outside, the Promised 
One all were expecting was " the Messiah," or " the 
Christ;" to Mary and Joseph alone He was " JESUS." 

Mary and Joseph knew from the prophecy of Micheas 
that Bethlehem, six miles south of Jerusalem, was to 
be the birthplace of the Messiah. This was four or 
five days' journey from Nazareth. When were they to 
go? And what reason could they give to their neigh- 
bours for suddenly quitting their home? And were 
they to quit it for good ? The answer to these questions 

61 



62 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

was : " Let us leave all to God ; He is watching and 
guiding everything ; He has come to our help always in 
the past." And so they waited in peaceful trust for a 
sign of His Will. 

One day there was great excitement in the market- 
place of Nazareth. A decree had gone out from Rome 
for the whole world to be enrolled. Augustus Cassar, 
the Roman Emperor, who ruled over the greater part of 
the known world, wanted to find out how many people 
he governed that he might know the extent of his power, 
and how much he could tax his subjects. The Jews, 
who were subject to him, were to go to the city or town 
which was the home of their ancestors, and there give in 
their names and take an oath of fidelity to Cassar. 

Now the townsfolk of Nazareth were a rough, quar- 
relsome set of people, easily moved to deeds of violence. 
They had such a bad name among their countrymen that 
it was an insult to call anyone a Nazarene. This de- 
cree of Caesar filled them with indignation. " Why 
should all men be disturbed and set on foot for his 
foolish whim V they cried. "O, that the Messiah would 
come quickly to free His people from the yoke of the 
wicked empire, and make all His enemies His foot- 
stool as David said ! " 

However, they had to make the best of a command 
which they dared not disobey. A Roman official went 
the round of the town, came to the little house at the 
bottom of the street, found that Joseph was one of the 
family of David, and ordered him off to Bethlehem, 
David's city. 

Here was the sign for which Mary and Joseph were 
waiting. What matter if the order were roughly given, 
if in going to Bethlehem they seemed to be doing 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 63 

Caesar's bidding only; God was arranging all things 
for them. Their preparations were soon made ; the few 
things absolutely necessary put together; Mary seated 
on the ass; the door of the little house fastened behind 
them ; and then Joseph took the bridle in one hand and 
his staff in the other, and they set out. 

It was the worst season of the year, the road was bad, 
the weather cold, and they had no conveniences for the 
journey. Again and again Joseph led the ass into the 
ruts by the wayside to make room for some of David's 
wealthier descendants, well clad and well mounted, and, 
like their poor relations, bound for Bethlehem. ISTot 
many words were spoken. There was much for both 
to ponder, and there was much to surfer. Each day's 
halt brought fresh anxiety to Joseph, for there were no 
inns on the road, and the caravansaries, or khans, were 
devoid of every comfort. They were merely enclosed 
spaces surrounded by sheds; four bare walls and a mat 
were all the accommodation provided; food, cooking 
utensils, bedding, travellers had to bring with them, or 
do without. 

The two journeyed slowly, and the evening of the 
fifth day was closing in, when, grey and dim on the hill- 
side, the walls of Bethhlehem came in sight. Party 
after party overtook them on the road, all hastening 
forward to reach shelter before nightfall. Joseph 
looked at Mary and urged on the tired beast. What 
could he do if the place should be full? At last they 
reached the khan, situated on the hill, a little way below 
the town. A glance round showed them they were too 
late. Every place was taken. Beasts and baggage 
crowded up the central square. On every side was 
shouting, disputing, the bustle and confusion of a crowd 
of travellers who had everything to do for themselves. 



64 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

No one had time to attend to any business but his own, 
and Joseph's questions were roughly answered. He 
went back to Mary, whom he had left outside, and taking 
the bridle turned towards the city. 

Night was falling as they passed within the walls, 
but there was light enough to see that it was full, full 
to overflowing. The better sort had long ago secured all 
that was to be had in the way of lodging. Poor people 
like themselves had little chance. Joseph searched dili- 
gently everywhere, but to no purpose. Wherever he 
saw a door open he hastened towards it; he pointed to 
Mary and held out his hand with the few coins he had 
left. But all in vain; everywhere the same answer: 
" No room." 

Up and down the streets they wandered that bitter 
night. No one would take her in. Joseph's tearful 
eyes looked up into her face. She was utterly worn 
out, but the smile on her lips told of a peace within that 
no trouble of this world could disturb. What was he 
to do? It was no use trying any more. He brushed 
his sleeve across his eyes and led the ass carefully down 
the hill again. 

It was quite dark now, and he had to hold his lantern 
low to keep a safe footing. A little way out of Beth- 
lehem a cave in a chalk hill opened upon the road. He 
said to Mary: "Let us go in here." The cave nar- 
rowed into an inner and smaller one, which seemed 
to be used as a stable, for an ox was there standing 
over a manger. They went in. Mary dismounted 
and knelt down in a corner to pray. Joseph hung 
up his lantern on the damp wall. Its flickering light 
showed the moisture trickling down on every side, and 
all the foulness of a neglected Eastern stable. This 
was the place which from all eternity God had chosen 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 65 

for the birthplace of His only Son. And here at mid- 
night the Son of God was born; the Word was made 
Flesh and dwelt amongst us. 

Mary bowed herself down to adore. Here was the 
Messiah she had so longed to see. Here was Jesus who 
by bitter pain was to save His people from their sins. 
Oh, how soon He had begun His work, she thought, as 
she looked upon the tiny limbs that lay trembling on the 
straw. Yes, this was He who, Gabriel said, should be 
great and should be called the Son of the Most High. 
A Roman judge, struck by His meek majesty, will say 
to Him one day: " Whence art Thou ? " All through 
the first Christmas night His Mother is asking Him 
this question, not because she does not know, but be- 
cause she cannot get used to the wonderfulness of the 
answer. She knows He has come from the highest 
heaven, from the right hand of the Father to whom He 
is equal in all things. And still He is her very own 
Babe, crying for her, nestling to her like any other help- 
less child. 

She adores Him as her God. And then she takes 
Him up in her arms, wraps Him up in swathing bands, 
and lays Him in the manger on a handful of straw, the 
best that Joseph can find about. She is grateful to the 
two animals which share it with Him and stand over 
Him warming Him a little with their breath. The 
words of Isaias come to her mind : " The ox knoweth 
his owner and the ass his master's crib, but Israel hath 
not known Me, and My people hath not understood."* 
No one ever understood and pondered the Scriptures 
as she did, and the words of prophecy come to her 
one by one as she worships there. This tiny Child 
is the Leader of God's people whom Micheas said 

* Isaias i. 



66 JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 

was to come out of Bethlehem ; whom Isaias called " the 
Hidden God/' of whom David said : " God shall come 
manifestly, our God shall come."* She and Joseph 
kneel beside Him, and look, and look, and wonder at 
the great God become so small, and at the love that has 
brought Him — to this. 

About a mile from Bethlehem and lying at the foot 
of the hill on which the little city stands is a field into 
which the shepherds of the neighbourhood led their 
flocks at evening. All day the sheep roamed in safety 
on the hills, but as night drew on, when wild beasts 
prowled about, they were brought down here. Eastern 
shepherds belong to the very lowest and poorest class of 
the people; their lives are hard, for they must guard 
their flocks all day and in all weathers, and lie out with 
them on the wet grass in the bleak nights of winter. 

A company of shepherds was watching in this field 
when Mary and Joseph took refuge in the cave. And at 
midnight " behold an Angel of the Lord stood by them, 
and the brightness of God shone round about them, 
and they feared with a great fear. And the Angel said 
to them : 

" Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of 
great joy that shall be to all the people. For this day 
is born to you a Saviour who is Christ the Lord in the 
city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. 
You shall find the Infant wrapped in swaddling clothes 
and laid in a manger. 

"And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude 
of the heavenly army praising God and saying: 

" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to 
men of good will. 

"And it came to pass after the Angels departed from 

* Ps. xlix. 




,_ 




'§:^mm- r \,d 




APPARITION TO THE SHEPHERDS. 

'* Glory to God in the highest ; and on earth peace to men of 
good will." — Luke 2. 14. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 



69 



them into heaven, the shepherds said one to an- 
other : 

" Let us go over to Bethlehem and let ns see this word 
that is come to pass which the Lord hath showed to us. 

"And they came with haste; and they found Mary 
and Joseph and the Infant lying in the manger. And 
all that heard wondered, and at those things that were 
told them by the shepherds."* 

Why were these men called before all others to wor- 
ship the new-born Child ? Because they were simple 
and docile, and patient under the many hardships of 
their rough lives. And because the Holy Child would 
teach us from the first this important lesson — that pov- 
erty is not a thing to be despised or to be ashamed of. 
It is a very painful thing, because it puts out of our 
reach the comforts, conveniences and amusements which 
make life pleasant. We care far too much for these 
things. An apple was too great a temptation for Adam 
and Eve, and nice things in the shape of food, dress, 
scents, bodily enjoyment of every kind, are often and 
often too much for us, their children. 'Not that pleasant 
things always lead us into sin. But a life of ease and 
self-indulgence, in which such things abound, is always 
a dangerous life, because the body never says : " It is 
enough." It is always ready to indulge itself at the 
expense of the soul, and to get what it wants it will not 
stop at sin. We have to distrust it and to be on the 
watch always. This is why the poor are safer by far 
than the rich if only they bear their privations pa- 
tiently. 

Our Lord came on earth to show us the safest way to 
heaven, and to show us in the best of ways, by example. 
It cost Him a great deal to teach us in this way all His 

* Luke ;: 



70 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

life, but He never thought of cost when He could help 
us by it. And so He began at once, the very night He 
was born, to teach us the value of poverty, and to com- 
fort the poor. How easily, after that midnight visit to 
the cave, the shepherds would bear cold, hunger, weari- 
ness, the want of nice, pretty, comfortable things such as 
the rich can get. " The little Babe Messiah had noth- 
ing of this kind," they would say to one another; 
" surely, then, we can do without." 

And we who have comfortable homes, and pleasures 
in plenty, what lesson has the poor Babe of Bethlehem 
for us ? This at least, that we must learn to honour the 
poor, who are most like Him, and to deny ourselves at 
times that we may have something to give to them in 
their need. We ought to be glad to serve them and 
work for them with our own hands, because they repre- 
sent our Blessed Lord who will take as done to Himself 
whatever kindness or unkindness we show them. 

See now why the shepherds were called first to the 
cave on the first Christmas night. 



IX. 



IN THE TEMPLE. 

Eight days after His birth the Holy Child shed His 
Blood for the first time, and received at His Circum- 
cision the Name of JESUS, that ISTame which St. Ber- 
nard says is " honey in the mouth, music in the ear, joy 
in the heart ; " so sweet to us, but costing Him so dear 
who took it for our sakes. Other children do not know 
what name is given them or why it is given. He knew 
perfectly all that He took upon Himself to do and to 
suffer that He might be our Jesus, our Saviour. He 
was afraid, for He was a true child, and shrank like 
every child from all that hurts. But He loved us so 
dearly that He offered Himself bravely for us in spite 
of the pain. 

A month passed away, and then Mary and Joseph 
prepared to go up to Jerusalem for the double cere- 
mony of Purification and Presentation required by the 
Jewish Law. Our Lord was Himself the Lawgiver, 
and, therefore, not bound by the Law ; but He wanted to 
be like us as far as possible that He might help us more 
and be our Model in all things. He came to teach us all, 
and to teach Mary first, who was to profit most by His 
lessons. Ko one has ever imitated Him as she did, be- 
cause no one has ever studied Him so closely. From 
the first we are told that she pondered in her heart all 
that happened to Him and all that He said and did. 
And then she tried to copy Him. When she saw Him 
submitting to laws to which He was not obliged, she 
joyfully did the same, and on the day of her Purifica- 
tion went up to the Temple to offer a sin-offering for 

71 



7$ JEStfS OF ftAZAEETH. 

herself and her Divine Child. The sacrifice of the 
rich was a lamb and a turtle-dove or young pigeon. 
Those who could not afford a lamb took two doves. 
Mar j was poor and made the offering of the poor. But 
she made a rich Offering too, richer than that gorgeous 
Temple had ever seen. 

The Law required the eldest son of each Jewish 
family to be presented to God and consecrated to Him. 
The babe was put into the arms of the priest and 
solemnly lifted up towards Heaven. Then it was 
bought back by the parents for five silver shekels, about 
four dollars in our money. 

On the fortieth day, then, after His birth, Mary 
took the Holy Child in her arms, and folding her veil 
closely round herself and Him, set out for Jerusalem. 
Joseph carried the doves in a wicker basket, and the 
silver shekels. 

Solomon's Temple was the most glorious building the 
world has ever seen. It was destroyed when the Jews 
were taken into captivity by ISTabuchodonosor the Great. 
The Second Temple was built on their return from cap- 
tivity, and, at the time of our Lord, it had been restored 
by the Herod whom history calls " the Great." He 
was a selfish, wicked man, whose one thought was to 
keep the throne of Judea which the Romans had given 
him, and to put to death anyone and everyone who might 
be a possible rival. His people feared and hated him, 
and it was to turn away their attention from his cruelty 
that he restored the Second Temple on so magnificent a 
scale, that in some respects at least it equalled or even 
surpassed the First. 

Four Courts, open to the sky, rose one above the other 
on Mount Moriah. The lowest and largest was called 



JESUS OF NA2AEETH. 73 

the Court of the Gentiles, because it was open even to 
pagans. But no Gentile, under pain of death, might 
pass beyond ; the rest of the Temple was reserved for the 
people of God. Fourteen steps led to the Court of the 
Women, so called because women might not go further 
except when they went with an offering for sacrifice 
into the Court of Israel. Highest of all was the Court 
of the Priests. In this enclosure stood the altar of 
holocausts, the brazen laver, and a building of snowy 
marble roofed with gold. It consisted of two rooms; 
one called the Holy Place contained the altar of shew- 
bread, the altar of incense and the seven-branched can- 
dlestick. 

Beyond this room, and separated from it by a rich 
curtain, was the chamber called the Holy of Holies. 
In Solomon's Temple this sanctuary held the Ark of the 
Covenant, containing the two Tables of the Law, 
Aaron's rod which had blossomed, and a pot of manna. 
After the destruction of the First Temple the Ark of 
the Covenant was lost, and in the Second Temple only a 
black stone marked its place within the Holy of Holies. 
Into this sacred spot none but the High Priest entered,, 
and he but once a year on the Day of Atonement, when, 
after filling it with the smoke of incense, he went in with 
the blood of victims to pray God to forgive the sins of 
the people. 

~No place was so dear to a true Israelite as this 
Temple of the Lord. David cried out : " How lovely 
are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts, my soul longeth 
and fainteth for the Courts of the Lord." To pray 
within these sacred Courts was their greatest happiness, 
and every Jewish boy looked forward with eagerness to 
his twelfth birthday, because thenceforth he would be 
bound to go up three times a year at the great feasts 



74 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

to worship there. When, after days of weary march, 
pilgrims climbed Mount Olivet, and from its summit 
caught sight of Mount Moriah and the golden roof of 
the Holy Place glittering in the sunshine, they forgot 
all the fatigues of the journey and broke out into loud 
songs of joy and praise. 

Herod's Temple, it is true, lacked that which had 
made Solomon's so glorious. The Ark of the Covenant 
was gone, and the bright cloud above it which showed 
the Presence of God in the Holy of Holies. But had 
not Aggeus comforted his people by telling them that 
this Second Temple would be more hallowed than the 
First, because the Lord of the Temple would Himself 
visit and sanctify it ? " Great shall be the glory of this 
last house more than of the first. The Desired of all 
nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, 
saith the Lord of Hosts." 

These words of the prophet must have been in the 
thoughts of Joseph and Mary when, with the Infant 
Jesus, they presented themselves at the foot of the 
steps which led to the highest of the Temple Courts. A 
priest came down to receive their offering. They gave 
him the shekels, and then Mary laid her Child in his 
arms to be offered to God. This was no mere ceremony. 
The Divine Infant begged to suffer in our stead the 
punishment our sins deserved, and His offering was ac- 
cepted. He was indeed given back to Mary, but as a 
little lamb to be kept for sacrifice later. 

Having done all things according to the Law, Mary 
and Joseph were turning to leave the Temple when a 
venerable old man came forward, took the Holy Child 
into his arms, and, smiling upon Him, gazed long and 
earnestly upon the little face, whilst tears of joy 
trickled down his cheeks. Mary watched and wondered. 



JESTTS OF KAZABETH, 75 

Here, then, was another that knew her secret, and had 
come forward to worship the Hidden God. Snch a 
smile of welcome, such a loving embrace ! the old man 
might have known the Child and been expecting Him. 
And so in truth he had. For this was the aged Simeon 
who had been promised that he should not die until he 
had seen the Christ of the Lord. God always gives 
more than He promises. Simeon was to see the Child, 
and here he is, not seeing only, but holding and fondling 
Him, and knowing what is to befall Him. 

But God expects us to trust Him ; He often keeps us 
waiting for a long time. Day after day Simeon had 
come into the Temple praying and hoping; day after 
day he had gone away disappointed and a little weary of 
waiting. This day, just at the right time, the Holy 
Spirit put it into his mind to go there, just at the right 
moment made him lift his eyes and fix them on that 
Child in the young mother's arms. There was noth- 
ing about the Holy Family to attract notice — a poor 
couple presenting their first-born, bystanders would have 
said. But the aged priest saw by faith what others 
could not see, and in a transport of joy blessed God and 
said: 

" Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, ac- 
cording to Thy word in peace. Because my eyes have 
seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the 
face of all peoples : a light to the revelation of the Gem 
tiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel." 

Then, turning to Mary, he went on in tones of sorrow- 
ful compassion : " Behold this Child is set for the fall 
and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a 
sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul 
a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts 
may be revealed." 



76 Jesus of ;n t azaeeth\ 

Joy and sorrow come together all through Mary's life. 
She has just had the happiness of presenting to God an 
offering worthy of Him. She has seen her Child wel- 
comed as the Messiah. And now, suddenly and un- 
expectedly, all is changed. The day that began so 
brightly is dark with coming woe. He whom she loves 
more than her life is to be contradicted, and so cruelly 
used, that her soul will be pierced with sorrow. But 
because this terrible future is God's Will for her Son 
and for herself, she bows her head and says once more : 
" Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me 
according to His Will." 

There is still another meeting to-day. Whether 
Anna, the aged prophetess, knew of the promise to 
Simeon and kept near him, hoping to have a share in 
his joy, we are not told, but we know that " she departed 
not from the Temple, by fasting and prayers serving 
night and day." And thus it happened that when he 
went forward and took the Child Jesus into his arms, 
she followed and joined the group, and not only adored 
in silence, but spoke of the Child to all around who were 
expecting the Redeemer. The only persons that we 
know of who preached and praised Him in that glorious 
Temple of His were this aged woman, at the beginning 
of His life, and the fearless children with their Hosan* 
nas six days before the end. 







5 .' It 



iMiW' 










THE HOLY KINGS. 

" We have seen His star in the east, and are come to adore 

Him. —Matt. 2. 2. 



THE STAB IIS T THE EAST. 

One day a party of strangers on richly trapped camels 
passed through the streets of Jerusalem causing great 
excitement. Their riders, noble looking men, wore the 
high head-dress and mantle thrown back over the should- 
ers, which marked them as Persians. 

They told a strange story. Months ago, whilst study- 
ing the midnight heavens, as was their wont, a star of 
extraordinary brightness had suddenly shone forth. 
They felt that it was sent to announce some great event. 
They knew that the whole world was expecting a De- 
liverer, and that the holy books of the Jews said a star 
should arise out of Jacob. This must be the star of 
the great King, sent to call them to His feet. They 
must go at once with the costliest gifts they could pro- 
vide and offer Him their homage. Their people had 
mocked them; their families had tried to keep them 
back; but they were resolved to seek and find the Mes- 
siah at any cost. And so they had set out, three of 
them, towards Jerusalem, where they supposed He 
would be found. 

" Where, then," they asked, " is He that is born King 
of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East 
and are come to adore Him ? " 

Those who heard all this shook their heads and mut- 
tered as they turned away that it was a pity these travel- 
lers did not know what kind of a ruler Herod was, and 
that no man who valued his life would dream of speak- 
ing in Jerusalem of another king. 

The news of their arrival and of their errand soon 

79 



80 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

reached the palace, and Herod in great alarm summoned 
all the chief priests and the scribes to enquire of them 
where Christ should be born. They answered as with 
one voice : " In Bethlehem of Juda, for so it is writ- 
ten by the prophet : And thou, Bethlehem, the land of 
Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for 
out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule 
My people Israel." 

The strangers now receive a courteous invitation to 
visit the king, with the assurance that he will do all in 
his power to aid them in their search. Simple and un- 
suspecting, they present themselves before him as he 
lies, splendidly robed, on his magnificent couch. He 
makes careful inquiries as to the star : " What was it 
like? When and where had they first seen it? How 
long had they been on their journey ? " They are de- 
lighted to find him so interested and tell him the whole 
story. He shows himself very gracious and says he is 
pleased to be able to give them the information they re- 
quire. Bethlehem, six miles south of Jerusalem, is to 
be the birthplace of the Messiah. It is a little place, 
they cannot fail to find Him there: 

" Go," he says, " and diligently inquire after the 
Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word 
again that I also may come and adore Him." 

The Magi thank him and set off without delay. 
~No one cares to go with them; the priests and scribes 
who have told them where to find Christ do not trouble 
to seek Him themselves. " Herod was troubled and 
all Jerusalem with him." Thus did His own people 
receive the good news the strangers brought. 

Surprised, but not disheartened, the Magi pursue 
their way, when, suddenly, the star they had seen in the 
East appears again and goes before them until it comes 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 81 

and stands over the place where the Child is. And, 
seeing the star, they rejoice with exceeding great joy. 
And entering into the house they find the Child with 
Mary His Mother, and, falling down, they adore Him. 

They expected to see the King of kings in a splendid 
palace surrounded by courtiers. Instead of this they 
find in a poor cottage a child without attendants or com- 
forts of any kind. Only a youthful mother and a 
humble tradesman keep watch beside Him. Can this 
be really a king? Can this be the great Deliverer the 
world is awaiting % Yes, such is their faith they believe 
Him to be both. They spread a carpet at His feet in 
Eastern fashion, humbly kneel down before Him, and, 
opening their treasures offer Him gifts — gold, frank- 
incense and myrrh. In the East no king is ever ap- 
proached without gifts. The Magi have brought the 
most precious their country produces, and very suitable 
gifts they are, for gold is a fit tribute to a king, incense 
is offered to God, and myrrh, the herb used for pre- 
serving bodies from corruption, shows that our Lord, 
though truly God, is man as one of us. 

We are specially told that they found the Child 
" with Mary His Mother." It was by Mary that our 
Blessed Lord came to us: in the Holy Bible the Son 
and the Mother appear side by side, and in the Catholic 
Church they are never separated. His Mother was the 
dearest treasure our Lord had in this world, and, poor 
as He was, He had this treasure to the end. How glad 
we ought to be that when He came to this cold and sin- 
ful world, where there was no room for Him, He had 
her arms to fold Him, and her immaculate heart on 
which to rest His head ! 

He did not speak as He lay in her lap. Was He then 
like any other child ? " Whence art Thou V 9 we can 



82 JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 

imagine the Magi asking as they knelt before Him. 
Mary answered for Him. She told them that He who 
had sent His star to fetch them was a real, little human 
child, but He was also the God of Heaven and earth, and 
they must worship Him. He had two natures, the hu- 
man nature which they could see, the Divine Nature 
which they could not see, but He had only one Per- 
son, which was the Person of God the Son. They lis- 
tened humbly, and bowed down, and kissed the little 
feet, and adored Him. And Mary gave them His lit- 
tle hand to kiss and blessed them with it. 

At last they had to go. They were so happy, so glad 
that they had come. They would go back now to their 
own land and tell their people all they had seen and 
heard. And as long as they lived they would remem- 
ber their visit to Bethlehem, and keep in their hearts the 
memory of the Mother and the Son. They had ar- 
ranged to return by way of Jerusalem, but, being told 
by God not to go back to Herod, they went to their own 
country another way. 

Meanwhile the king was waiting and wondering. 
Why did not the Magi come back? Could they have 
found him out and have tricked him who thought him- 
self so clever in tricking others? How foolish he had 
been not to have them followed and watched by some 
of his own people. Finding at last that he had been out- 
witted by these simple-looking men, he was furious, 
and, sending his soldiers, killed all the male children 
that were in Bethlehem and in all the country round 
from two years old and under. In vain did the poor 
mothers try to hide or to defend their little ones. At 
their play, in their cradles, in the very arms of their 
mothers, these innocents were seized and slain, while 
shrieks and piteous cries were heard on every side. 



JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 83 

And where was He whose life the cruel king was 
seeking ? 

The night after the departure of the Magi, as Joseph 
slept, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him : 

"Arise," he said, " and take the Child and His Mo- 
ther, and fly into Egypt, and be there until I shall tell 
thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the 
Child to destroy Him." 

Without asking a single question, Joseph arose, went 
to Mary and told her of the order. Like him, asking 
no questions, she rose quickly, put together some provis- 
ions, took her little Babe and wrapped Him up in the 
few garments she had, whilst Joseph collected his tools 
and went out to saddle the ass. Then he helped Mary 
to mount, laid the Holy Child in her arms, closed the 
door of the cottage and went out into the night. 

Days and weeks they journeyed on, first through 
wild and hilly country, then across the trackless desert. 
There was no shelter for them when the rays of the sun 
beat fiercely down by day and the chilly dews fell 
at night. Day after day that dreary waste of sand 
stretched out before them. Springs of water were rare, 
and they suffered terribly from thirst. As they plodded 
on under the white light of the moon, or lay down to 
rest, they heard the bark of the jackal and the roar of 
the distant lion. The burning breath of the sirocco, 
with its whirling sand, might overtake them, robbers 
might swoop down upon them. But they were not 
afraid, for they knew that the little Child they had 
with them — was God. 

At last the yellow wilderness is broken up by patches 
of refreshing green ; further on they come upon fertile 
fields and the dwellings of men, and Joseph begins to 
lock about for a place where they can settle down. But 



84 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

the idolaters view with suspicion these Jewish stran- 
gers; no one knows them, and they are homeless wan- 
derers till Joseph is able to hire a little house. Then 
it is hard to get work, and though he and Mary stint 
themselves for the sake of the Child, they are so poor 
that many a time when He asks for bread they have none 
to give Him. 

It seems to have been soon after the slaughter of the 
Innocents that Herod died and went to Judgment. 
What an awful account he had to give! To keep a 
throne of which death must soon deprive him, he had 
murdered his nearest and dearest, the priests of the 
Temple, and at last a whole troop of little children, 
among whom he hoped was the Saviour of the world. 

There was nothing now to keep the Holy Family 
in exile, and the Angel who had ordered the Flight into 
Egypt appeared in sleep to Joseph saying: 

" Arise, and take the Child and His Mother and go 
into the land of Israel, for they are dead that sought 
the life of the Child." 

And he arose and took the Child and His Mother 
and came into the land of Israel. But hearing that 
Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his 
father, he was afraid to go thither. He therefore de- 
termined to return to Nazareth in Galilee and settle 
there. 



XI. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

If their home at Nazareth was dear to Mary and Jo- 
seph before they left for Bethlehem, what was it now 
when the sound of little feet was heard upon its floor, 
and a childish voice called for " Father " or for " Mo- 
ther!'' Joseph's trade, that kept him away all the 
morning and afternoon, seemed harder than ever, but 
he consoled himself by thinking that his loss was Mary's 
gain. 

Yes, she had the Child all to herself during those 
early years. He sat at her feet as she spun, or stood 
by as she did the kneading, or the baking, or the wash- 
ing of the little house. When she dropped anything, 
He was quick to pick it up. He noticed what she 
wanted before she knew herself, and ran to fetch it; 
and as soon as He was able He helped in the household 
work. Neighbours would stand at their doors to watch 
the young mother and her beautiful Boy as they went 
together to the fountain. They were all in all to each 
other, it was plain, and His manner towards her, so 
reverent and so tender, was delightful to see. 

How happy were Mary and Joseph, when, sitting 
down to their simple meal, they had the little Jesus 
between them; when, morning and evening, they knelt 
beside Him, knowing that He whose prayer went up 
with theirs was Himself the God to whom they prayed. 
See them — how reverent they are, how still, how atten- 
tive. Was there ever a scene on earth more beautiful 
than morning and night prayers at Nazareth! 

In the synagogue they heard the Prophecies read 

85 



86 JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 

which told of the coming Messiah . . . "Despised 
and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows . . . 
I have not turned away my face from them that spat 
upon me." What did Mary feel as she watched the 
calm, grave face of her Boy and thought of the dishon- 
our that was to come ! 

On Sabbath evenings they walked together through 
the flowery fields or up the grassy slopes of Nazareth, 
drinking in every word, as the Child spoke to them of 
the God who had made all these things for our use and 
enjoyment, who so loved the world as to give His only 
Son to save it. 

As Jesus grew older, He swept the house, washed the 
dishes, ground the corn, and at last went with Joseph 
to the workshop to learn such rough carpentry as His 
Foster-father could teach Him. ~No work was too 
lowly or too commonplace for Him who had made all 
things out of nothing. Mary and Joseph were never 
tired of watching Him and admiring the care with 
which all was done and finished; not once or twice, or 
when the work was interesting or new to Him, but day 
after day, year after year when it was dull and tiresome. 
They never forgot who He was; never got used to the 
thought that He who came at their call, and went 
errands, and brought home the modest pay for Joseph's 
work, was the Lord of Angels and of men. " Whence 
art Thou V 9 their hearts would cry, as they saw the read- 
iness with which He obeyed their slightest wish, the 
cheerfulness and grace with which He served them. 

It must have been from Mary's lips that St. Luke 
gathered all we know of those long years at Nazareth 
which we call the Hidden Life. Twice in the same 
chapter he speaks of her habit of pondering the words 
and actions of her Divine Son, and all that befell Him. 







'.■ ' ■ :■ ■ 


■ 












1 


i- .'' " \ i 


V;':C! 


HI ^J 


















" ' ■ ■■'■ ": ' 


" 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 

"Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into 
Egypt.'' — Matt. 2. 13. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 89 

And lie tells us what about Him was most marvellous 
to that pondering heart of hers : " He was subject to 
them." He — to them! 

Indeed, He was the Hidden God of Nazareth. His 
cousins, James and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude, little 
thought that He who played with them, or with sweet 
words settled their childish disputes, was the Desired of 
all nations, the long-promised Messiah whom the whole 
world was expecting. And their elders, who, as we are 
told, would say in their troubles : " Let us go and have 
a talk with the Son of Mary," did not know that He 
was able to dry their tears and refresh the heavy-laden 
— because He was God. 

We wonder, perhaps, why He gave so much time — 
twenty years and more — to this Hidden Life, or why 
He remained hidden at all. He was to be on earth only 
three and thirty years. There was so much to teach 
and to do, and He could have begun at once. But do 
we not all know that the best teaching is by example? 
Whether the lesson is needlework, or swimming, or 
painting, or drill, what we want is, not merely to be 
taught by words, but to be shown by our teacher what 
we have to do* 

We may be sure our Blessed Lord did not want to lose 
time, for no one knew as He did how much had to be 
done. He had us all to teach — men, women, and chil- 
dren — and to teach in the best way, by example. There- 
fore He would begin at once, as soon as He came into 
the world. And He would begin with the children. 
They are His first class. He calls them all round Him, 
the children of America, and Europe, and Africa, and 
Asia, and says to them: 

" Look at Me in My home. It might have been a 
rich home, provided with all kinds of comforts and 



90 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

conveniences. But because most of My followers 
would be poor and unable to have these things, and all 
of them would be inclined to care far too much for 
the pleasant things of this life, I chose to be poor. We 
had nothing unnecessary at Nazareth, nothing pretty or 
curious — a table, a few stools and mats, a meal-tub, a 
chest for clothes. My Foster-father had to rise early 
to go to his work. My Mother mended and washed 
for us and cooked our homely meals ; we had no servant. 
For all of us it was hard labour, early and late. 

" Will not those who are poor among you be com- 
forted by seeing Me poor? Will not those who are 
better off deny themselves something for My sake, and 
give to those who are poor like Me ? And will not all 
children try to give up their own way, to obey cheer- 
fully, to reverence father and mother as well as love 
them when they see how for long years I did all these 
things in My little home at Nazareth ? " 



XII. 



IN THE TEMPLE AGAIN. 



A boy's twelfth birthday was a great event in a 
Jewish family. Up to this age he was called " little," 
afterwards he was called " grown up " and became a 
" Son of the Law." He must put away now the things 
of a child and behave and be treated as a man. The 
same strict subjection to his parents as before was not 
expected of him. He was consulted as to the trade or 
profession he wished to follow. In the synagogue he 
wore the phylacteries, narrow bands of parchment in- 
scribed with sacred texts. And he was bound to go up 
to the Temple at the three great yearly festivals. 

The first of these was the Pasch. It commemorated 
the preservation of the first-born of the Jews on the night 
when all the first-born of the Egyptians were killed. It 
lasted seven days. The first-fruits of the barley har- 
vest were offered to God on this Feast. Seven weeks, 
or fifty days later, came the Feast of Pentecost, com- 
memorating the giving of the Law to the Israelites on 
Mount Sinai. On this Feast the first-fruits of the 
wheat harvest were offered. 

Lastly, in the autumn, when the fruits of the vine- 
yards and the cornfields had been fully gathered, came 
the Feast of Tabernacles in memory of that time in 
the desert when the people lived in tents. This was a 
festival of thanksgiving for the blessings of the year. 
Every Jew who had come of age was bound to be present 
in Jerusalem at each of these Feasts. So great were 
the numbers congregated together at these times that 
they often exceeded two millions. 

91 



92 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

When Jesus, therefore, was twelve years old, He ac- 
companied His parents to Jerusalem for the Feast of 
the Pasch, joining the caravan which was going up 
from Galilee. 

For greater safety against robhers many thousands 
travelled together, the men and the women in separate 
companies, the children with either father or mother. 
As they neared Jerusalem and fell in with other cara- 
vans, the concourse of pilgrims grew more and more 
dense, and in the neighbourhood of the Holy City hus- 
bands and wives reunited and finished the journey to- 
gether. 

See Mary and Joseph walking with Jesus between 
them. There is bustle and noise all around, but they 
are not distracted; their eyes are ever turned towards 
Him; their ears catch each sound of His voice. We 
are told of Him at this age that He advanced in wis- 
dom and grace before God and men ; that is, He showed 
more and more of the wisdom and grace which were per- 
fect in Him from the first. If ordinary neighbours 
perceived this, how much more Mary and Joseph. 
Each day He was more beautiful and more winning, 
more lovable and more loving. The Temple to which 
they were journeying held nothing so holy as this Child 
of theirs, this little Pilgrim of twelve, and when from the 
summit of Mount Olivet the dazzling roof of the Holy 
Place appeared to view, and a shout of joy broke from 
every heart, they turned to the Boy between them and 
worshipped Him with profoundest adoration. 

Yet they were glad to go to the Temple, and, during 
the seven days the Feast lasted, the blessed Three were 
seen continually at the various services. 

The Paschal lamb had to be without blemish; to be 
slain in the evening and carefully prepared for the sup- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 93 

per, for not a bone must be broken. It was eaten with 
unleavened bread and wild lettuce. The youngest 
present had to ask his father the meaning of these sacred 
rites, and the father was to tell him it was to remind 
God's people how on the night their fathers were de- 
livered from the slavery of Egypt, a lamb was slain and 
its blood sprinkled on the doorpost of their houses that 
the destroying Angel who was to pass in the night and 
slay the firstborn throughout the land, might spare the 
dwellings marked by that sign. God had commanded 
that every year they were to keep the anniversary of that 
night by eating the Paschal lamb till He should come 
whom the lambs of the Passover had represented. 

So when the Holy Family meets for the supper, Jesus 
asks the meaning of the ceremonies, and St. Joseph tells 
the story whilst Jesus and Mary listen. See Mary look- 
ing with tenderness and pain on the Boy by her side. 
His eyes are fixed, now on the lamb before Him, now on 
the unleavened bread ; His thoughts seem far away. 

When the Feast is over, the caravan from Galilee re- 
turns home. Joseph travels with the men, Mary with 
the women as before, both generously rejoicing in the 
happiness of the other. Jesus had gone, of course, with 
His Mother, Joseph thinks. He is with His father, 
Mary says to herself again and again through the long 
desolate day ; what joy it will be to see Him when even- 
ing comes. 

At last a halt is called. The vast multitude stops its 
march and prepares to encamp for the night. Such a 
scene of confusion as it is. Such unlading of asses, 
and setting up of tents, and preparation for supper; 
husbands coming in search of their wives, children run- 
ning about, delighting in the hubbub and the prospect 
of camping out. Joseph and Mary meet. Each is 
6 



94 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

alone. Their troubled look says plainer than words: 
" Where is Jesus % " Neither has seen Him since they 
started. They make inquiries but can hear nothing 
of Him. 

They go here and there, threading their way among 
the various parties settling down for the night. No one 
has time to listen to them, rough or careless words are 
the only replies they receive. Darkness falls and with 
it a stillness. Perhaps now He will come to them. They 
sit by the roadside and wait and pray. The hours go 
by. They cannot disturb the sleeping camp, and surely 
He would have come to them before now had He been 
anywhere there. He must have remained behind in 
Jerusalem. Joseph looks at Mary, tired out with her 
day's march and weary search, but she smiles through 
her tears and tries to cheer him. " Yes, surely, Jesus 
will be in the Temple," she says, " let us go to Him." 
And they set out. 

She is quite spent by the time they reach Jerusalem. 
But there can be no rest for her till Jesus is found. 
They go to the Temple ; they search the Courts and the 
colonnades ; they question the talkers ; they look among 
the worshippers. No, He is not here. They go out 
and wander up and down the still thronged streets of 
the Holy City, feeling for each other at every new dis- 
appointment, trying to keep up each other's hope. 

Three days they search; the market, the bazaars or 
shops, the synagogues — all are visited, the Temple 
again and again. Joseph wonders how Mary keeps up. 
The anguish of her heart can be seen on her face, but 
there is never a complaint, never anything in the tone 
of her voice to tell of aught but patient suffering and 
resignation to God's Will. 

On the third day, as they are passing a group of 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 95 

rabbis or doctors, met, as was their wont, in one of the 
porticos of the Temple to discuss difficult questions of 
the Law, Mary is startled by the sound of a Voice com- 
ing from the midst of that attentive throng. There is no 
other voice like that. She lays her hand on Joseph's 
arm and they stand and listen. Now they can see 
within the circle. 

There He sits, the carpenter's Son, the centre of that 
learned gathering. Every eye is fixed on Him in won- 
der and admiration. He has put questions to which 
none can reply; simple questions they seemed and in 
keeping with His years, and asked with the reverence 
with which a child should address his elders, yet He 
waits in vain for an answer. Old men are there whose 
lives have been spent in the study and explanation of 
the Law. But they have found their Master to-day and 
are forced to keep silence before Him. 

" Who is this Child \ Does anyone know anything 
of Him ?" they ask each other. 

Mary and Joseph wait. They must not interrupt 
Him. He has a work to do here. They wait patiently 
and delightedly as He answers His own questions and 
explains hard passages of the Scripture and clears away 
difficulties from the minds of these men. He shows 
them that the time of the Messiah as foretold by the 
prophets is come and that they must be ready for Him. 
There is no disputing what He says, for He speaks with 
authority and such wisdom that all are astonished. Si- 
lent and thoughtful, one after another leaves the group. 

Now the Child Teacher is alone, and Mary and Jo- 
seph come up to Him. 

" Son, why hast Thou done so to us ? Behold Thy 
father and I have sought Thee sorrowing." 

At last her full heart finds vent. There has been no 



96 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

word of complaint to Joseph, but to Him who knows 
her pain and her submission to His Will in all things, 
to Him who cannot misunderstand, she may say in lov- 
ing complaint : " Why hast Thou done so to us ?" He 
looks up into her tear-stained face and says tenderly : 

" How is it that you sought Me ; did you not know 
that I must be about My Father's business V 9 

Mary understood Him and His words and ways bet- 
ter than any other has ever done. But He was God, and 
what He did and said was not always plain even to her. 
We are told she did not understand Him here. 

It was to give her an opportunity of practising many 
virtues that He did not tell her He was staying behind 
in Jerusalem. And He had another reason. He 
wanted her to know by experience the misery and the 
pain of separation from Him, that she might be able to 
feel for those who lose Him by sin, and to pray for them 
that they may find Him again. 

He wished also to give an example to those many 
followers of His who would have to go through the 
agony of leaving father and mother in order to do their 
Father's business by working for the salvation of souls. 
He would comfort them by bearing this trial first Him- 
self. For His was the tenderest of hearts, and it cost 
Him very much to grieve those who were dearer to Him 
than all the world beside, and who were so worthy of 
His love. 

God's way is to try His servants for a little while 
and then to reward them. He filled with overflowing 
joy the hearts of Mary and Joseph as, with the Holy 
Child between them, they set out on their way home. 
How sadly they had trod that road three days before! 
But what a difference the presence of Jesus makes now ! 
They held Him fast, one by each hand. They had 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 97 

Him all to themselves, for the caravan was far ahead. 
And He was making up to them in all manner of sweet 
ways for the pain they had had. 

When they got home they wondered if He would be 
any different ; if the time was come for Him to be less 
subject to them; if He was going to continue the work 
of teaching He had begun in the Temple. No, He was 
just the same as before ; the twelfth birthday had made 
no change. There was the same ready obedience, the 
same eagerness to find out their wishes, to spare them 
trouble, to make the little home happy for them. 



XIII. 

THE HIDDEN LIFE. 

Next time the doctors of the Temple met they won- 
dered if that marvellous Child would come again and 
teach them. They went over together all He had said, 
and when they got puzzled afresh they wished they had 
asked Him who He was and where He lived. He was 
very young to be a prophet, but surely none of the pro- 
phets had spoken as He had done; those who called 
themselves masters in Israel were no more than chil- 
dren beside Him. He knew the hidden meanings of 
the Scripture, and, as some of them had found out, He 
could read their most secret thoughts. They made in- 
quiries and talked about Him for a time, and then, as 
they could learn nothing, the memory of Him faded 
from their memory, and most of them forgot Him. 

And what is He doing who made such a stir among 
these learned men? Standing by Joseph's side in the 
workshop to see how yokes and ploughs are made ; how 
the hammer and the saw and the chisel are used; guid- 
ing the tools with weak, unsteady hand ; learning to be 
a carpenter. Later on He works under Joseph's direc- 
tion, and during the hot hours of the morning and af- 
ternoon the two may be seen day after day at their 
heavy toil. Then our Lord sweeps up the shavings, 
tidies the shop, and takes the finished work to the little 
homes around. He waits to see if it gives satisfaction, 
and holds out His hand for the pay. 

Then comes the meeting at the evening meal that 
makes up for the hard work of the day. The joys and 
sorrows of these blessed Three are the same, and their 

98 



JESTJS OF NAZARETH. 99 

hearts are so united that nothing ever happens to dis- 
turb their peace. Troubles there are every now and 
then, and hardships always, for they are poor people. 
But Jesus makes up to Mary and Joseph for all beside. 

No mother ever had such joy as Mary, because none 
ever had a son so perfect and so loving. But she had 
sorrows too that were hers alone. Some of us find it 
hard to keep a secret. God's greatest secret was trusted 
to Mary, and at times she found it hard to keep. Let 
us see why. 

We know how reverently the Church treats the 
Blessed Sacrament. Her priests alone may touch it. 
Their hands must be clean; the corporal on which It 
rests spotless. A veil must hang before the tabernacle 
door where It is reserved, a lamp must burn day and 
night before it. Flowers are to be set around the little 
throne where It is exposed for Benediction, sweet in- 
cense must rise up before It, and hymns be sung in Its 
praise. And when It is waved above their heads, the 
faithful bow down in adoration. All we can do must 
be done to honour the Hidden God who makes Himself 
so little for love of us. 

Now Mary knew as no one else has ever known who 
He was that went out to work each morning and came 
home tired at night, who took orders from the villagers, 
and helped to earn the daily bread. We get used to the 
miracle of the Blessed Sacrament, as our genuflections 
before the tabernacle show. But the Keal Presence at 
Nazareth was always as wonderful to Mary as It had 
been at the first. Her love and her worship, so far 
from growing less, grew more intense as time went on. 
And when she spoke to her Son with the authority of 
a mother, she never forgot that she was His creature 
and little handmaid. She knew that whilst He slept on 

LOFC. 



100 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

His hard mat at night, or worked in the shop by day, 
legions of Angels were prostrate in adoration before 
Him. 

It was the keenest pain to her to see Him treated with 
any want of reverence. When neighbours came into 
her little home in Egypt, and, meaning to be kind, took 
up her Babe and dandled and played with Him as if He 
had been an ordinary child, still more when the towns- 
folk of Nazareth spoke to Him roughly, found fault 
with His work, ordered Him here and there, it was 
hard to look on and say nothing. But she had God's 
secret to keep, and until the hour had come for her Son 
to show Himself to the world she must be content to 
adore in silence and try to make up to Him by her lov- 
ing reverence for the neglect of those who knew Him 
not. 

Time went on, went quickly in the Holy House, for 
they were all so happy. Our Lord was quite grown up 
now, and did all the hard work at the shop. For Jo- 
seph's strength was failing. Still he liked to go to the 
little timber yard, for Jesus was there, and He could sit 
and watch Him even if he could not help. And there 
he did sit hour after hour, his eyes fixed on his Foster- 
Son, watching and wondering why he should have been 
chosen to be His guardian, why people were allowed to 
call that Holy One " the Son of Joseph." 

At last he could no longer get to his place in the 
yard. Then, a little later, the end came. There was 
no illness; the old man simply seemed to fade away. 
Our Lord prepared him for death, making with him the 
acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity which get us ready 
to die. Joseph had always willed just what God willed. 
It was this habit that made his face so peaceful that 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 101 

his neighbours used to wonder if he had any troubles. 
Yet sometimes the Will of God was hard. It was hard 
now. 

When other saints die they are glad because they are 
going to God whom they love, going to be with Jesus 
and Mary for ever. But Joseph had lived with Jesus 
and Mary almost all his life. He had toiled for them, 
provided their daily bread, gone and come with them 
wherever they went. To look upon the face of Jesus, 
to be trusted and loved by Mary — this had made the 
happiness of his life. 

And now he must leave them and go down to Limbo, 
the dark, dreary place of waiting. Our Lord knew it 
was hard. But He comforted him by telling him that 
the separation would not be for long, and gave him sweet 
messages to take to the waiting souls. Only three years 
more and the world would be redeemed, and as soon as 
the price was paid on Calvary He would come to them 
and turn Limbo into Paradise. 

The end of Joseph's wonderful life was come. His 
head lay on the breast of Jesus, his hand was clasped in 
the hands of Mary — and so he died. How they had 
loved him and how they missed him now! By the 
parting at that holy deathbed, and by the vacant place 
in the little home, Jesus and Mary learned to weep with 
those that weep, and to feel for hearts torn and bleeding 
by the breaking of the ties that God Himself has made. 

It is because of the happiness of St. Joseph's death, 
with Jesus and Mary by to help and comfort, that we 
beg this blessed Saint to be with us with Jesus and Mary 
when we come to die, and get us the faith, hope, and 
charity, the contrition, and resignation to God's Will 
which we shall need in that most dreadful hour : 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. 



102 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my 
soul with you in peace. 

Our Lord now became the carpenter at Nazareth. 
Morning and afternoon the sound of the hammer was 
heard in His shop. Passers by looked in now and then 
— looked carelessly, their attention attracted by the 
noise. No one stopped to watch reverently, no one so 
much as dreamed that this — was God ! 

He was expected to make and mend all the simple 
village furniture, to be grateful for orders, and to do 
His work cheaply and well. He must be at every one's 
beck and call, work after hours, leave what He was 
about, to do something wanted at once ; this table must be 
altered, that plough was too dear. He listens patiently ; 
He undoes His work and does it again. He tries to 
please His humble customers; He treats them with re- 
spect and obeys them cheerfully. 

And this day after day, all through the Hidden Life ! 

There need not have been all those years of heavy toil. 
Our Lord might have had a comfortable and a beautiful 
home. He might have taught in the synagogue, or 
written books, or trained disciples. Or, if He chose 
to work with His hands, His tasks might have been 
easier and more interesting. Had He thought of Him- 
self things would have been different. But we are told 
that " He pleased not Himself." He knew that most of 
His followers would spend their lives in hard, distaste- 
ful labour — nothing to look forward to when they get 
up in the morning, always the same dreary round of lit- 
tle duties. The thought of Nazareth and of the Son 
of God earning His bread by the sweat of His brow 
would comfort and cheer these heavy-burdened ones. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 103 

This is why He spent almost His whole life in a cottage 
and a workshop. And there was another reason. 

What a prince touches, or does, or likes, receives a 
value which it had not before. When the Son of God 
came into the world, He found labour despised and 
shunned. So He consecrated it by the touch of His 
divine hands, and now it has become honourable and 
dear to those who love Him. We should esteem it as all 
the saints have done. How much better is a life of 
labour than one of ease and luxury ! Let us thank God 
if we have to work hard with our heads or our hands. 
This will save us from the dangers that idleness brings ; 
and if like our Lord we do our work for the love of God, 
it will be very pleasing in His sight and deserve a great 
reward. 

When evening came our Lord and His Blessed Mother 
took their simple meal and said their night prayers 
together. He would speak to her of the time fast ap- 
proaching when He must leave her to go out into the 
world and save the souls of men. She would see Him 
now and then during the time of His preaching, but His 
Father's business would fill His days, and prayer His 
nights. She must be content to follow Him with the 
holy women who would minister to Him, and mix in the 
crowd and see and hear Him from afar. 

In His tender, loving talks during those last days at 
Nazareth, He would tell her many things about that 
Kingdom of His, the Church, which He was going to 
found, many secrets which because of her holiness she 
was fit to hear. When our Lord came to mix with men, 
we find Him sighing again and again at their want of 
faith, at the dullness of their understanding, at the 
slowness of their hearts. What a joy it must have been 
to Him to have such a one as Mary to teach, and how 



104 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

freely He must have spoken to her during those years 
of the Hidden Life when she was His one companion. 

At last the day of parting came, and as they stood to- 
gether at the door she bade Him farewell. He was 
leaving the little home in which God had had such per- 
fect service, and going out into a world in which God 
was little known and loved. He left behind the one 
heart that understood His own, the Mother to whom He 
had trusted His joys, His sorrows, His plans for the 
souls of men. As time went on He would find many 
followers and a few devoted friends, but none like those 
who had made Nazareth a little Heaven upon earth. 

Mary's heart was breaking when she saw Him go. 
ISTo one has ever known Jesus as she knew Him, and 
therefore no one can have any idea of the love with 
which she cherished and clung to Him. She alone 
among mothers was allowed, nay, was bound to worship 
her Son. For thirty years He had been the Life of her 
life. To part with Him was worse than death. Yet she 
would not have kept Him a day from the work to which 
He was going. She was the first and most faithful of 
His disciples, and she had learned from Him the worth 
of souls. She knew how dearly He loved them, how 
He was longing to give His blood to save them from 
sin and hell, and she was willing and eager to see them 
saved even at this tremendous price. He was going to 
torments and to death ; the sword of sorrow must pierce 
her soul ; but she bowed her head and said : " Behold the 
handmaid of the Lord, be it done according to His 
Will." 




HIS BOYHOOD AT NAZARETH. 

"And the child grew, and waxed strong, full of wisdom; and 
the grace of God was in Him." — Luke 2. 40. 



THE PUBLIC LIFE 



XIV. 

PALESTINE AND ITS PEOPLE. 

" Too long hast Thou been silent, O Lord Jesus, and 
very much too long; begin now at last to speak/' says 
St. Bernard in one of his sermons. 

We can scarcely imagine a greater contrast than the 
thirty years of our Lord's Life now past, and the three 
that are to come. Hitherto He has been hidden away 
as the carpenter of an obscure village, unknown except 
to His humble relations, and very imperfectly known 
even to them. Eow, with a band of devoted disciples, 
He is to come and go along the highways of the land, 
to be a familiar Figure in the Temple at the time of the 
great yearly Feasts, a Teacher in the synagogues up 
and down the country, the Guest of Pharisees of dis- 
tinction. He will be followed from city to city, and 
across the wilderness and up the mountain slopes by 
multitudes of every age and class and calling. He will 
be found amidst friends and enemies, at festive gather- 
ings, at the bedside of the sick and lonely poor. 

To know Him better we will try to get some idea of 
the land to which He is coming as Teacher of its people. 

If we take a map of the world we shall find that the 
little country of Palestine lies just in the heart of the 
Eastern hemisphere. It forms part of Asia, it adjoins 
Africa, and the same sea that bathes its shore washes 
all those of southern Europe ; as if to show by its very 
situation that the Land from which salvation flowed to 
all lands should be the centre to which the men of every 

109 



110 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

age and race and clime should turn with love and thank- 
fulness. 

It seems to belong to all lands in another way — by 
sharing what is special to each. Nowhere out of Pal- 
estine are to be found natural features so opposite, and 
the animal and vegetable life of such different parts of 
the globe. 

In a country about the size of Switzerland are 
snow-capped mountains, parched deserts, beautiful 
lakes; plains scarlet with poppies, and desolate stony 
wastes; groves of feathery palms, and oaks, chestnuts, 
pines, and firs; vines, melons, pomegranates, the sugar 
cane; and apples, nuts, and fields of waving corn. 

The lion, rhinoceros, wild bull, and bison, are no 
longer found, but there are camels and bears, wolves and 
hyenas, jackals and apes, with the horses, asses, sheep, 
and goats, hares and foxes of our own land. 

Palestine has our birds, too, all the warblers of our 
woods and hedges, the blackbird, thrush, and cuckoo, 
with sparrows, rooks, and jackdaws. The robin spends 
his winter there; all about Bethlehem the goldfinch is 
common, wild ducks abound in the Jordan valley, whilst 
soaring above most rocky ravines are the vulture and the 
eagle. Might we not think that the various creatures 
familiar to us in different parts of the world are gath- 
ered together in the Holy Land to be blessed for every 
land? 

To bring home to ourselves the Life of our Blessed 
Lord on this earth of ours, it helps us to know the kind 
of country and scenery that lay around Him, the ani- 
mals and birds and flowers He would see ; to be able to 
picture to ourselves the little white houses with their low 
roofs and blinking windows that would come within 
sight when He neared a village ; the sort of people with 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. Ill 

whom He would have to mix, their manners and customs 
and dress. We must not, then, think it dull and unin- 
teresting to learn something of the state of the country 
when He came. Trouble is well bestowed if it helps 
us to know Him better, to feel as well as to know what 
His life on earth must have been, and what He went 
through, not uncomplainingly only, but willingly and 
brightly for the love of us. A word, then, about the 
government of the country. 

When Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, was 
led thither out of Mesopotamia, he found there the 
fierce and wicked race of Canaan, from whom it takes 
the first name by which we know it. God promised 
it to Abraham and his children, who called it the Land 
of Promise. They did not, however, get possession 
of it till more than five hundred years after Abraham. 
Then Jewish kings reigned there for five hundred 
years, till the Jews were taken into captivity by the 
Assyrians, and again for another hundred years before 
they came under Roman rule. It was because two 
royal brothers quarrelled about the crown that the Ro- 
mans were called in. They soon settled the dispute 
by making the country a Roman province, obliging the 
Jews to pay a yearly tribute to Rome, and setting over 
them as king a foreigner, Herod the Great, in whose 
reign our Lord was born. 

The Jews hated everything that reminded them of 
their subjection to Rome, the sight of the Roman eagles 
set up in public places, of Roman soldiers stationed here 
and there to keep them in order, of the Roman coins 
with which they had to pay the tribute ; they even hated 
and despised their fellow-countrymen, the publicans, 
who collected the taxes for the Romans. They were 



112 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

always ready for revolt, always prepared to follow any 
of the imposters who at this time of -universal expecta- 
tion pretended to be the long-looked-for Deliverer of 
the people. It was as a deliverer from the Roman 
yoke, a king who would shower upon them honours and 
riches, and make them the first nation of the earth, 
rather than as One coming to free them from sin and 
teach them the way to Heaven, that they regarded and 
ardently desired the Messiah. We have to bear this 
in mind in order to understand how the whole people 
could turn against Him and deliver Him up to the Ro- 
mans and to death. 

He came at a time when things were at their worst, 
not only in the great pagan world that lay outside His 
own Land, but in that favoured Land itself. The 
priests, even the High Priests, were men of evil life and 
a scandal to the nation. It was they who became the 
bitterest enemies of our Blessed Lord and stirred up 
the masses against Him. 

The people, instead of being united in fervent pre- 
paration for the coming Redeemer, were divided into 
sects and parties, bitterly opposed to one another. 
There were the Pharisees who made pretence of being 
better than the rest of men, " whited sepulchres," our 
Lord called them, fair without, loathsome within. There 
were the wealthy, luxurious Sadducees who denied the 
existence of spirits and the resurrection of the dead, men 
determined to enjoy this world as they did not believe 
in another, wanting no Messiah who would disturb a 
state of things with which they were quite satisfied. 
And there were the Herodians, who flattered those in 
power in order to gain their own ends and have a com- 
fortable, easy life. 

The Pharisees appear so often in the Gospel story that 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 113 



we must try to have a clear idea of them. Their name 
describes them well, for it means" the Separated/' the 
holy ones set apart from the multitude. They looked 
down upon the poor and the ignorant who had not 
studied the Law of Moses, and called them " accursed." 
They prided themselves on their knowledge of the Law 
and their exact observance of all it required as to fast- 
ing, purification, the paying of tithes and particularly 
as to the keeping of the Sabbath. According to them 
it was unlawful to make a knot, to kill a stinging insect, 
to clap one's hands on the Sabbath day. They were 
most strict about the washing of hands, and cups, and 
dishes. But the holiness of the soul they did not trouble 
themselves about. The greatest saint was not he who 
most loved God and his neighbour, but he whose phy- 
lactery was the broadest and tassels longest, and face 
the gloomiest on fasting days. These men had great in- 
fluence with the people, who looked up to them with awe, 
called them " Eabbi ; " that is " Master," and showed 
their veneration by touching respectfully the tassels of 
their mantles. 

Our Lord showed Himself condescending but firm 
with the Pharisees. He meekly bore their rudeness and 
even their blasphemy. He went to their houses, though 
He knew He was invited only that they might watch 
and inform against Him. But, when at the end of His 
ministry He saw that they remained obstinate, hindered 
His work, and turned the simple folk against Him, He 
spoke to them with terrible severity, and boldly reproved 
them for their pride and deceit. He called them hypo- 
crites who might indeed deceive men with their show 
of goodness, but could not escape the Allseeing eye of 
God. His fearless exposure of their wickedness en- 
raged them, and the people's admiration for Him filled 



114 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

them with envy and hatred. For they wanted to be the 
leaders of the nation, and could not bear to be put into 
the shade by this carpenter of Galilee. The divine 
beauty of our Lord's character and teaching and works 
they did not wish to see. To them He was only a rival 
who must be got rid of. And because they feared as 
well as hated Him they leagued with their enemies the 
Sadducees to bring about His destruction. 

Such were the masters to whom the people looked for 
guidance and example. It was amongst such as these 
that our Lord found Himself when He left the wilder- 
ness and began His work of teaching. 

Palestine was at this time divided into six districts. 
West of the Jordan were Galilee in the north, Samaria 
in the centre, Judea in the south. East of the river 
were Ituria, Trachonitis and Perea. 

Herod the Great had ruled as a vassal king under the 
Eomans over all Palestine. On his death his kingdom 
was divided among his three sons, Archelaus, Herod An- 
tipas, and Herod Philip, who governed their territories 
with the title of tetrarchs. Archelaus ruled over Judea 
and Samaria, but after ten years of a cruel reign he was 
deposed and banished and his tetrarchate was made into 
a Roman province under a procurator or governor. 
Herod Antipas governed Galilee and Perea with the 
title of king, though he was only a tetrarch. He was 
still reigning at the time our Lord began His public 
ministry. Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea and 
Samaria. Tiberias Caesar was Emperor of Rome. 

The scenes of our Blessed Lord's Life lay occasionally 
in Samaria, oftener in the towns and highways of Judea, 
oftenest in Galilee, among the towns and villages dotted 
along the western shore of its beautiful lake, and up the 
grassy slopes to the east. 





• 


, 


■■'.■■:■■:■■■:■ .'•:"" 


l„... . 


' ' 7- ' "' ' ' :' '"" ' , '■" ::/ " "■' ! "" ^ 


m 


&. % fE^B ^ |K Sal * 2 f '^ & 


Hvhpp w IBs* '"*■ 


i&t "^ " •' £ m^ Wol^B e <■ •> 


ly ;■ ,• & \ J|l * 


MB^W^ ft ■* ^H^/ awRfil ^ 





THE HOLY FAMILY. 

"He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was 
subject to them." — Luke 2. 51. 



XV. 

THE BANKS OF JORDAN. 

Leaving Nazareth behind Him, our Lord made His 
way to the banks of the Jordan, and following the 
river southward through Galilee, Samaria and Judea, 
arrived at a ford near Jericho. On His road He had 
fallen in with troops of people of all classes going in 
the same direction, and here assembled at the ford was 
a vast multitude covering both banks. On one point all 
eyes were fixed. Standing on the river bank was a 
man of rough and uncouth appearance. His face, 
from constant exposure to sun and wind, was of the 
colour of brown parchment; his eye was bright and 
piercing; his frame lean with fasting, and freely over 
his shoulders fell his long hair, for his locks had never 
been shorn. He wore a garment of coarse camel's 
hair gathered in at the waist by a leathern girdle. 

Who was this extraordinary man? People said he 
was the son of the priest Zachary, who, thirty years ago, 
whilst offering incense in the Temple had seen an Angel 
and been struck dumb by the vision. His name was 
John. He had spent his life from childhood in the 
desert, where his food was locusts and wild honey. And 
now he had suddenly appeared on the borders of his 
desert and was telling the crowds who went out to see 
him that they must repent of their sins and prepare for 
the Messiah, for the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. 

" The Kingdom, the Messiah's Kingdom at hand !" 
A cry of rapture rang through the land. He was near, 
then, who should free them from bondage and raise the 

117 



118 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

fallen fortunes of Israel; who should march at their 
head against the heathen Gentiles, bring the whole earth 
under His rule, and begin a thousand years' reign of 
prosperity and glory for the people of God! Men, 
women and children from Jerusalem and all the country 
about the Jordan, nay, from distant towns and villages, 
flocked in thousands to the wilderness — Pharisees and 
Sadducees, priests, publicans, soldiers, forgetting in the 
common joy and expectancy their mutual jealousy and 
hate. 

But John's speech to them was not of coming pomp 
and pleasure, but of penance. He flattered none; he 
told all to confess their sins and be baptized. In stern 
and fearless words he rebuked the proud, the self-indul- 
gent, the unrepenting sinner. Seeing among the crowd 
some Pharisees and Sadducees, he cried out: 

" Ye offspring of vipers, who hath shewed you to 
flee from the wrath to come ? " 

But he spoke gently to the humble and the poor. 

Standing one day on a hillock, his voice thundered 
over the wilderness : 

" Now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every 
tree, therefore, that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall 
be cut down and cast into the fire." 

The people terrified cried out : " What, then, shall 
we do ? " 

And he said : " He that hath two coats, let him give 
to him that hath none, and he that hath meat let him do 
in like manner." 

And the publicans who came to be baptized said to 
him : " Master, what shall we do ? " 

And he said to them : " Do nothing more than that 
which is appointed you." For as collectors of taxes 
they were accustomed to cheat. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH, 119 

And the soldiers also asked him saying: "And what 
shall we do ? " 

And he said to them : " Do violence to no man, 
neither accuse any falsely, and be content with your 
pay." 

He did not tell men to lead a hard life like his own, 
but to keep the Commandments of God and be faithful 
to the duties of their state of life. In this way they 
would be getting ready for the Messiah. 

The rugged appearance and stern speech of the young 
preacher, so far from scaring the people away, drew 
them to him. His words that the Messiah was about to 
appear caused the greatest excitement throughout the 
country ; thousands were baptized by him in the Jordan 
confessing their sins, and disciples began to gather round 
him. And as people were thinking that perhaps John 
might be the Christ, he said to them : 

" I indeed baptize you with water, but there shall 
come One mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I 
am not worthy to loose. He shall baptize you with the 
Holy Ghost and with fire." 

The Coming of Christ — this was always the subject 
of his instructions. It was this that made his dark 
eye kindle and his countenance glow. Men who knew 
how stern his speech could be marvelled at the burn- 
ing love that from his heart overflowed upon his lips 
when he spoke of Him whose messenger and forerunner 
he was. 

Day by day his words of prophecy grew clearer, and 
the expectation of his hearers more intense. The Mes- 
siah was close at hand. John had said it, and all men 
held John to be a prophet. He was at hand ; when and 
where would He show Himself? 



120 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

One day John was preaching as usual and as usual the 
stillness of the vast audience showed that his words 
were reaching every heart. Suddenly he broke on* and 
fixed his gaze with a look of reverent wonder on some- 
thing or someone at a distance. All eyes followed his. 
From the midst of the throng a Man was quietly ad^ 
vancing towards the little height on which the Baptist 
stood. His garments were poor, yet there was an in- 
describable majesty about Him joined to an innocence, 
simplicity and gentleness capable of winning every 
heart. He was a stranger, unknown to all but one. 
John saw Him., knew Him, and his heart leapt forth 
to welcome Him. 

Painters have loved to show us the little Baptist 
standing with the. Child Jesus at Mary's knee. The 
two were cousins, but we are not told that they had 
ever seen each other before this meeting by the Jordan. 
How, then, did John know our Blessed Lord ? He him- 
self tells us : "I saw the Spirit coming down as a dove 
from Heaven upon Him." 

The Precursor thought his work was now done; the 
Master had come, it was the place of the servant to 
retire. What, then, was his amazement and awe when 
our Lord, mingling with the sinners who were coming 
down to the water, and waiting His turn, stood at length 
before Him and humbly asked for baptism. 

" I ought to be baptized by' Thee," he said trembling, 
" and comest Thou to me ? " 

" Suffer it to be so now," replied Jesus in a low tone, 
" for so it becometh us to fulfil all justice." 

Then John with reverent hand poured the water on 
that sacred head, and that which was one day to make 
us children of God and heirs of Heaven was consecrated 
by the Baptism of Christ. As He came out of the 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 121 

water there was a glorious sight: the heavens opened, 
and in the midst of dazzling light the form of a Dove 
with outstretched wings was seen to overshadow Him, 
whilst a Voice like soft thunder was heard: 

" Thou art My Beloved Son, in Thee I am well 
pleased." 

This is the first time the Holy Trinity, One God in 
Three Persons, showed Itself to men — the Father in 
the Voice from Heaven, the Son in the Sacred Human 
Nature, the Holy Ghost in the form of a Dove. 

The Hidden Life was over, our Lord's Public Life 
had begun, and it began with an act of deep humility. 
But He that humbleth himself shall be exalted. So it 
has ever been; so it was by the Jordan now. Christ, 
the All-Holy, had humbled Himself, appearing among 
sinners as a sinner. And His Father had glorified Him 
by declaring before that vast multitude that He was no 
sinner but His own well Beloved Son. 

We might have thought that at last His time for 
preaching had come. He was thirty years of age; the 
people prepared by John were in eager expectation. 
They had heard Him proclaimed from Lleaven to be 
the Son of God. How they would flock to Him and 
welcome Him if He were to come among them and 
teach them now ! 

But God's ways are not like ours. Our Lord was 
indeed going to teach, not, however, the people of His 
own land, but His followers in every land and through- 
out all time, to teach us all one of the most important 
lessons we have to learn in this world. And He was 
going to a battlefield to meet a cruel and powerful ad- 
versary. What was this lesson? where was this battle- 
field? Let us follow Him and see. 



XVI. 

IN THE DESERT. 

When the people on the river banks looked around 
for the wonderful Stranger they could find Him no- 
where. He had quietly left the place where He had 
been glorified, and, climbing the steep side of a moun- 
tain, had entered a lonely country full of barren rocks 
and gloomy caves, a region rugged and dreary beyond 
description. There He spent forty days and forty 
nights, neither eating nor drinking. The wild crea- 
tures of the wilderness were His only companions. The 
tortoise came out of its rocky hole, the lizard darted 
across His path as He walked. When evening fell He 
heard far off on the mountain side the jackal's mourn- 
ful cry. Lions and leopards passed Him on their way 
to a stream, or came up and fixed their great, wondering 
eyes on Him as He knelt in prayer. He was their 
Lord and Master, and He was sinless — they did not 
harm Him. 

After He had fasted forty days and forty nights the 
devil, who had been watching and suspecting, came to 
Him. He wanted to find out who this extraordinary 
man was. He knew that the time was at hand for 
His Coming who was to redeem the world and save us 
from sin and hell. Was this holy One the Redeemer, 
or only another of the prophets? If he was no more 
than man, He could be tempted and fall into sin like 
other men. 

There are three desires which, unless resolutely 
checked lead people into sin — the desire of pleasure, 
such as the enjoyment of the body in eating and drink- 

122 



JESTJS OF NAZARETH. 123 

ing; the desire of notice and admiration; the desire of 
riches, and of the comforts, power and importance that 
riches bring. 

We mnst bear in mind, however, that these three 
p's — pleasure, plenty and praise — are things not bad 
in themselves, nor is the moderate desire of them wrong. 
What is bad is the immoderate desire, the reckless use 
of them simply because they are nice. The devil knows 
that we are inclined to rush after enjoyment for enjoy- 
ment's sake, so he uses these things as baits to catch and 
ruin us. Men, women, children, all are tempted, some 
by one bait, some by another, but no one escapes, the 
Saints least of all. They do not go to Heaven alone, 
but take many with them, hence the enemy of souls 
hates and fears them more than others. With what 
hate, then, did he look upon this Holy One who might 
be not a Saint only but the Saint of Saints and the Re- 
deemer of men. 

The forty days were over, and Jesus, who had been 
six weeks without food, was sitting worn and weak on a 
rock in the midst of the desolate country. Scattered 
around were great stones something in the shape of 
loaves. And the tempter coming said to Him: 

" If Thou be the Son of God, command that these 
stones be made bread." 

By these cunning words he meant to find out what 
he wanted so much to know, for God alone could change 
a stone into bread. But we wonder, perhaps, where the 
temptation was. Our Lord was very hungry and He was 
asked to change a stone, not into anything dainty but 
into bread. It was temptation because He was urged 
to satisfy His hunger before the time appointed by His 
Father, and to do this by a miracle. He had come into 
the world to suffer, not to use His divine power to escape 



124 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

suffering. His miracles were to be for others, not for 
Himself. And He had something far more impor- 
tant to do at that time than to provide for His bodily 
need. And so the answer came promptly : 

" It is written ; Man liveth not by bread alone but by 
every word of God." 

He would suffer as long as His Father willed, and 
wait patiently till His Father should send relief. The 
devil had found out nothing and his temptation had 
been treated with contempt. But he had two more 
in reserve. 

He took our Lord into his loathsome grasp and bore 
Him away to the holy city, Jerusalem. There he set 
Him on one of the lofty pinnacles that overlooked the 
Temple Courts and said to Him: 

" If Thou be the Son of God cast Thyself down, for 
it is written: that He hath given His Angels charge 
over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up 
lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone." 

As if he would say: "At the sight of Angels flock- 
ing round Thee to guard Thy sacred feet, the worship- 
pers in the Courts below will fall prostrate before Thee 
and adore Thee as the Son of God." See how deter- 
mined he is to get our Lord's secret from Him, how cun- 
ningly his tricks are devised, and how he can turn 
even holy words to his own purposes. Jesus answered 
calmly : 

" It is written again : Thou shalt not tempt the 
Lord thy God." 

Did He mean that He Himself was the Lord God ? 
The crafty spirit could not tell; he was foiled again. 
But there was a third trial, he might succeed yet. The 
man, if he was only man, was very weary, very suffer- 
ing, he might yield just to purchase peace. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 127 

Again the devil took Him up into a very high moun- 
tain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and 
the glory of them and said to Him : 

"All these will I give Thee if falling down Thou wilt 
adore me." 

" Begone, Satan ! for it is written : The Lord thy 
God shalt thou adore and Him only shalt thou serve." 

Like a thunderclap from a cloudless sky came those 
tremendous words. Jesus was weary even to exhaus- 
tion. But when His Father's honour was assailed He 
spoke in words of power which terrified the coward 
that thought to take advantage of His weakness. 

" Begone !" The Evil One quailed before Him and 
fled. And behold Angels came and ministered to Him. 
They had been hovering near all through this marvel- 
lous scene, wondering and worshipping. And now in 
joyful throngs they offered Him their service, who, 
though so spent and suffering, they knew to be very God 
of very God. They brought Him refreshment in His 
hunger and thirst, and by their bright, beautiful forms 
gladdened His sight. 

You will ask, perhaps, how our Lord could see from 
one mountain all the kingdoms of the world ? Or how 
it was that Satan, who is so clever and watchful, did 
not know from all that had gone before who He was ? 

Many people are asking nowadays how certain things 
we read in Holy Scriptures are possible, how they can 
be explained. These are two distinct questions, not 
two forms of the same. How things that we cannot 
understand are possible, should be no difficulty to us in 
these days of marvellous discoveries and inventions. A 
hundred years ago, wireless telegraphy, the X-rays, the 
cutting off of a man's leg without hurting him, would 



128 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

have been pronounced impossibilities had anyone pre- 
dicted them, and any genius who should have made them 
facts would in the Middle Ages have run the danger of 
being treated as a wizard for his pains. 

Wise folks are becoming very wary of declaring any- 
thing impossible. It is a thought to make us humble 
that we are perhaps only beginning in this twentieth 
century to find out the possibilities of this wonderful 
kingdom of Nature which is beneath us. It ought to 
make us ready to believe that in the spiritual world 
which is above us, there are multitudes of things which 
we cannot understand. We know from the testimony of 
our senses that the gramophone and chloroform are facts. 
But very few of us could give a satisfactory explanation 
of these marvels ; knowledge and terms would alike fail 
us were we to try. Nay, for the same reasons we should 
hardly understand the explanation of an expert, even 
were he to do his best to be simple and clear by the use 
of our own familiar words. 

What wonder, then, that we cannot comprehend those 
spiritual things which we can neither see, nor hear, nor 
touch, nor reach by any of our bodily senses! Even 
God Himself cannot make these things perfectly clear 
to us now; we are too ignorant, and the words of our 
poor human speech are too weak to express the wonders 
that Angels understand perfectly, and that we shall 
understand some day. When God speaks to us in the 
Holy Scriptures He has to use our imperfect words to 
express His divine thought. He is like a father whq 
in answer to his children's questions tries to put some 
grand astronomical fact into their childish language. 
We are all children now, and even the most learned 
must be content to say when it comes to the mysteries of 
faith : " I know it is so, because God has said it. I 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 129 

do not know how it is, because of my ignorance. God 
cannot at present explain it to me. But I shall know 
some day, and meantime I can wait." 

But there are plenty of things which with a little 
thought we can understand quite well in Holy Scrip- 
ture, and God means us to learn from the Life of our 
Blessed Lord all we can. This wonderful fact of His 
conflict with the devil was for our sakes, to teach us 
how to meet temptation. Our enemy is stronger than 
we are, but he has been completely conquered by our 
Leader, and this gives us an immense advantage over 
him. For a foe that has been beaten again and again 
comes on to the field in a very different spirit from one 
who has never known defeat. We have to fight the 
same enemy who fled in terror at our Lord's word 
" Begone ! " And our Lord stands beside us always. 
He encourages us to use His own word : " Begone, 
Satan ! " and promises us victory if we only ask Him 
for it and do our best. He has taught us by His own 
example that temptations are not sins; that we are not 
to be surprised or frightened when temptation comes; 
and even if it comes again and again and in different 
shapes we are to meet it calmly and patiently, trusting 
in His strength whose soldiers we are. 



XVII. 

THE FIRST DISCIPLES. 

We must go back to our Lord whom we left in the 
desert surrounded by Angels. 

Coming down the mountain side He made His way 
again to the bank of the Jordan where John was still 
preaching and baptising. The crowds were greater than 
ever and more enthusiastic. John, they said, was 
either Christ or Elias who was to announce His Coming. 
At last the great Council of the nation, called the San- 
hedrin, determined to find out the truth. They there- 
fore sent messengers to the Baptist to ask him : 

" Who art thou ?" 

" I am not the Christ," he said. 

" What, then; art thou Elias ? " 

" I am not," he replied. 

"Art thou the Prophet ? " - 

He answered: " No." 

" Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them 
that sent us ? " 

" I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness : 
Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaias 
said." 

And they asked him : " Why then dost thou baptize 
if thou be not Christ nor Elias nor the Prophet ?" 

John answered them saying : " I baptize in water, 
but there hath stood One in the midst of you whom you 
know not. The same is He that shall come after Me, 
who is preferred before Me, the latchet of whose shoe 
I am not worthy to loose." 

If we want to see a perfect servant of God, we have 
130 



JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 131 

only to look at St. John. For months the stream of 
people, rich and poor, learned and simple, had been com- 
ing and going; his name was in every mouth, everyone 
wanted to see him, hear him, show him reverence. But 
he cared nothing for all this homage. His one thought 
was his Master, to turn the minds of the people from 
himself and fix them upon Him, to hand over his own 
disciples to Him at the first opportunity. This came 
at last. 

One day he saw Jesus coming towards him. Turning 
to those who stood about, he said: 

" Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh 
away the sin of the world, this is the Son of God." 

The next day he was standing with two of his disci- 
ples when Jesus passed by: 

" Behold the Lamb of God," he said again, as he 
pointed Him out to them. 

Everyone is attracted by a lamb. St. John wanted 
to draw the hearts of his disciples to Jesus, so he called 
Him by this name. Yet not " Lamb " only, but " Lamb 
of God," for they must know who He was, and wor- 
ship as well as love Him. 

" Behold the Lamb of God ! " The priest says these 
words to us just before Holy Communion, that we may 
not be frightened of Him who comes to us, and on the 
other hand that he may not thoughtlessly forget how 
great and holy Lie is. In every Mass, at the end of 
every litany, the Church calls upon our Lord by this 
beautiful name of His, " the Lamb of God." He has 
many names, and among them some are His favourites 
—the Holy Name, " JESUS," that is Saviour, " Jesus 
of Nazareth," " Son of David," "the Lamb." It is 

by this last name that St. John the Evangelist calls 

8 



132 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Him when he sees Him in His glory. He tells us that 
he saw " a great multitude whom no man could number, 
of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, stand- 
ing before the Throne of God and in sight of the Lamb," 
to show us what a happiness it is to be where we can 
see face to face and to our heart's content our dear and 
gentle Lord. Among these blessed ones he saw some 
specially favoured " who follow the Lamb whithersoever 
He goeth." 

It was these words : " Behold the Lamb of God," 
that won the hearts of the disciples. They looked 
earnestly, and drawn they knew not how, followed 
Him. He turned and, seeing them following, said 
graciously : 

" What seek you ? " 

" Rabbi, where dwellest Thou ? " they answered tim- 
idly, not knowing what else to say. 

" Come and see," He replied. 

They followed Him joyfully now, and He took them 
to a little hut or shelter He had on the river bank. It 
was about four in the afternoon, " and they stayed with 
Him that day," says one of them who has left us the 
account. This one was John the Evangelist, called 
later " the Disciple whom Jesus loved." The other 
was Andrew, a fisherman who lived on the shore of the 
Lake of Genesareth. 

It seems that they stayed with our Lord not only the 
rest of that day but the following night. What they 
said to Him and He to them we are not told, but when 
day was come and they took their leave, our Lord had 
gained His first two disciples, the oldest and the young- 
est of the Twelve Apostles. From what they had seen 
and heard they were quite sure that this was He who 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 133 

was come, and they went off at once to tell their brothers. 
Andrew found his first: 

" We have found the Messiah ! " he exclaimed joy- 
fully. And he brought him to Jesus. 

St. John seems to have been present at the interview, 
for he tells us very carefully what happened. Jesus, 
looking upon the newcomer, said: 

" Thou art Simon, the son of Jona, thou shalt be 
called Cephas" (which is, interpreted, Peter). 

Well might our Lord look earnestly upon that 
weather-beaten, eager face, all aglow with expectation. 
Here was His first Vicar upon earth, the Rock on which 
He was to build His Church. He looked, and thought 
of all He was to be to Peter and Peter to Him, of the 
long line of successors this Galilean fisherman was to 
have, of all they would gather into their net and land 
safely on the eternal Shore. 

Those who heard these words of our Lord must have 
been startled. A Jewish name was not given lightly 
as ours often are, for the sake of the sound, or because 
one of the family has borne it before. It was intended 
to show the character or the calling of the person who 
bore it. To change a name was to show a change of 
position or of office. It was an important act, and al- 
lowed only to the rulers among the Jews. 

~Now here was One who, on seeing this fisherman for 
the first time, not only told him his name and his 
father's, but changed his name from Simon, which 
means " Son of a dove," to Peter, which means " a 
Pock." Andrew and John looked at one another in 
astonishment. What such a change meant they could 
not tell, but they did not forget it. New disciples as 
they came in were told about it, and Peter at once 
came to be looked upon as the first and chief among 



134 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

them. The Evangelists, who have written the Gospel 
story, all name him first in their lists of the Apostles. 
He was not the oldest, not the first called, but he was 
" the Bock." 

Simon, Andrew and John had like so many others 
left their homes in Galilee to come down to Judea that 
they might hear the preaching of John the Baptist. The 
fourth disciple, Philip of Bethsaida, was another Gali- 
lean fisherman. He came from the village of Simon 
and Andrew on the shore of the Lake. 

The day after His words to Peter our Lord was re- 
turning with His little company to Galilee when " He 
found Philip," says St. John. To the disciples this 
meeting first with one then with another of them might 
seem to be chance. But there is no chance with God. 
Each of this chosen band was sought out by the Master, 
and at the right moment found. 

Looking on Philip He said to him: 

" Follow Me." 

Two words, but enough. Philip followed, and was 
so happy in the company of his new Master that he 
could not rest till he had made Him known to a friend 
of his named Nathaniel. Nathaniel was sitting alone 
under a fig tree when Philip broke in upon his solitude 
exclaiming joyfully: 

" We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law 
and the prophets did speak, Jesus of Nazareth." 

" Of Nazareth." His little speech could scarcely 
have had a more unfortunate ending, the effect of the 
good news was spoilt completely. 

" Can anything good come from Nazareth ? " Na- 
thaniel replied coldly. 

" Come and see," was the answer. It took some per- 
suasion, but at length the two were on their way to our 




THE TEMPTATION. 

' Begone, Satan ; for it is written : The Lord thy God shalt 
thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve" — Matt. 4. 10. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 



137 



Lord. When they had come up to Him He said in the 
hearing of Nathaniel: 

" Behold an Israelite indeed in whom there is no 
guile." 

Nathaniel in amazement replied : " Whence knowest 
Thou me?" 

Jesus looking upon him said : " Before that Philip 
called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw 
thee." 

The fig-tree was a long way off, and what had hap- 
pened there we do not know. Perhaps Nathaniel had 
been praying to see the Messiah before he died, and be 
numbered amongst His followers. Any way there had 
been some act or thought which God alone could know. 
Who was this Stranger that in that secret place had seen 
him and read his heart ? Nathaniel was a man with- 
out guile, that is without cunning or deceit. He only 
wanted to know what was right, and seeing what a mis- 
take he had made he owned it at once. : 

" Kabbi," he exclaimed, " Thou art the Son of God, 
Thou art the King of Israel." 

Jesus answered : " Because I said unto Thee : I saw 
thee under the fig-tree thou believest? greater things 
than these shalt thou see." 

Many believed Nathaniel to be the same as St. Bar- 
tholomew the Apostle. " Bar " means " Son," " Bar- 
Tolmai " means " Son of Tolmai." The full name may 
have been Nathaniel Bar-Tolmai, just as we have Simon 
Bar-Jona. One reason for this belief is that in the 
lists of the Twelve Apostles Philip and Bartholomew 
are always put together. 



XVIII. 

GALILEE. 

Clear silver water in a cup of gold, 

Under the sunlit steeps of Gadara, 

It shines — His Lake — the Sea of Chinnereth- 

The waves He loved, the waves that kissed His feet 

So many blessed days. Oh, happy waves ! 

Oh, little silver, happy Sea, far-famed, 

Under the sunlit steeps of Gadara ! * 

And now they were in Galilee, our Lord and His 
five disciples, six if we count Nathaniel. 

Let us try to see the place where the greater part of 
the Public Life was spent, which was the home of those 
who after Peter were to be the foundation stones of 
the Church. It must be dear to us for their sake, and 
much more for His who is our Master as well as theirs. 

The Sea of G-alilee, or of Tiberias, or the Lake of 
Gennesareth, is a pear-shaped sheet of water, fourteen 
miles long and six broad in its widest part. In our 
Lord's time it was a scene of wonderful beauty. Its 
deep blue waters were crossed and recrossed by boats of 
many shapes and sizes. There were heavily laden 
barges bearing the costly merchandise of the East to the 
custom-house on the shore; there were pleasure skiffs 
darting here and there with gay parties bound for one 
or other of the handsome Roman villas by the Lakeside ; 
and there were fishing smacks in hundreds, some with 
nets lowered for a draught, others bringing home the 
fruits of the night's haul. The white beach showed 
boats being unladen, children looking on as the silvery 

* The Light of the World. Sir Edwin Arnold. 
138 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 139 

load was landed and sorted, men and boys mending 
their nets on the strand or stretching them out to dry. 

Dotted all about were the cottages of the fishermen, 
and, coming down almost to the water's edge, glowed 
rich, waving cornfields and flowers of every hue. In the 
Jordan valley, where, sheltered from the winds, the 
vegetation was tropical, the sugarcane flourished, and 
palm trees with their feathery foliage. Higher up grew 
figs, almonds, olives. Higher still, walnut, oaks, apple 
trees, each of these needing its own kind of soil and 
temperature, yet all at home here. Here, too, were the 
richest and busiest cities of Galilee — Tiberias, Mag- 
dala, Bethsaida, Capharnaum, Chorazin. Behind them 
soared the solemn mountains framing the beautiful 
picture. 

Very different was the country to the east of the Lake. 
The mountains rise steeply from the shore, and it was 
difficult to land except in a few places. Owing to the 
winds that rush between them from the colder heights 
beyond, the Lake was subject to sudden and dangerous 
storms. All around lay a wild and desolate region, 
desert or grassy plain, or rocky highland, with none of 
the life and stir and busy population of the district to 
the west. 

Dear Sea of Galilee ! We love it for His sake who 
crossed it in Peter's boat, and spoke to its angry waves, 
and walked upon them to come to the help of His disci- 
ples. Here He sat with them on the shingly beach ; here 
He taught and healed and comforted all who came to 
Him. Up yonder are the bleak mountains to the east 
which He so often climbed with weary feet, there to 
spend the night alone in prayer. 

How glad Mary must have been to welcome her 
Divine Son back to Galilee ! She was waiting for Him 



140 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

at Carta, a little town five miles north-east of Nazareth, 
for there was to be a marriage there and they were both 
invited. It seems likely that the bridegroom and the 
bride were her relations and that she had something to 
do with the arrangements for the feast. 

Jewish weddings took place in the evening, and it 
was often dark when the bridal procession, the grandest 
part of the ceremony, started. Attired in a white and 
gold-embroidered robe, veiled from head to foot, and 
with a crown of myrtle on her head, the bride awaited 
at the door of her father's house the coming of the 
bridegroom. Waiting and watching with her were 
ten virgins, her companions carrying lamps. At last 
a cry was heard : " Behold the bridegroom cometh ! " 
He came with ten youths, his friends, and taking his 
bride by the hand led her forth. The whole family 
then formed in procession, and by the light of the 
torches, with the music of flute and tambourine, and 
with joyous shouts and song, the bridal pair were es- 
corted to their home, where a great feast was prepared. 

These two at Cana were of humble rank and poor. 
And our Lord had brought His disciples with Him. 
Perhaps this was the reason why the wine ran short. 
Mary's quick eye saw the mishap at once, and her 
motherly heart felt for the confusion of the young 
couple. Accustomed to take every trouble to her Son, 
and to be granted all she asked, she went to Him and 
whispered : 

" They have no wine." 

" Woman," He answered, " what is it to Me and to 
thee? My hour is not yet come." 

To our ears these words sound strange, but to Eastern 
ears they would not. " Woman " was a title of rever- 
ence, and " what is it to Me and to thee ? " meant : " It 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 141 

is no concern of ours that the wine has failed ; the time 
for Me to work miracles has not yet come." 

There are some who think that our Lord was dis- 
pleased with His Blessed Mother for telling Him of 
the need. They do not consider what Jesus and Mary 
were to each other ; how for thirty years they had lived 
together under the same roof, she using her authority 
over Him as His Mother, though always with the pro- 
foundest reverence, He showing her the honour and giv- 
ing her the obedience of a Son. Did she not know Him 
better than any other has ever done, and know what 
pleased and what displeased Him ? And who under- 
stand best the meaning of words ? Is it not those who 
saw the speaker, heard the tones, noticed the actions? 
Nothing that Jesus said or did was lost on Mary. Did 
she think He was displeased? On the contrary, as if 
He had told her beforehand what she was to do, she 
turned to the waiters and said : 

" Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye." 

Now there were set there six water-pots of stone, ac- 
cording to the manner of the purifying of the Jews. 
They were very particular to wash their hands before 
and after eating, and wherever a meal w T as provided 
there was always plenty of water for washing. The 
water-pots contained two or three measures, or about 
seven and a half gallons apiece. Jesus said to the 
waiters : 

" Fill the water-pots with water." 

And they filled them to the brim. Then He said: 

" Draw out now and carry to the chief steward of the 
feast." 

This was usually a friend of the bridegroom's ap- 
pointed to preside and give directions to the servants. 
He had to taste the wine before it was served to the 



142 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

guests. The waiters said nothing to the steward, but 
watched him as he raised the cup to his lips. When 
he had tasted he put the cup down, and, surprised that 
poor people could afford to have such wine, and that 
they should have kept it to the end of the feast, he 
called the bridegroom and said playfully : " Every man 
at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well 
drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept 
the good wine till now." 

But the faces of the servants showed that something 
extraordinary had taken place. They were questioned 
and told their tale again and again, and what had hap- 
pened under that humble roof was soon spread far and 
wide. 

About a hundred and twenty gallons of water had 
been changed into the purest wine. Why? Because 
Mary had asked? ~No, she had asked nothing. And 
the time for working signs and miracles had not yet 
come. Our Lord expressly said so. Why then did He 
work this wonderful miracle ? Because He wanted us 
to know that whatever His Mother desires He will 
grant, and that for her dear sake He is ready to hasten 
His hours of mercy to us. He knew the wine had failed. 
He meant to give more, but He waited for her to speak 
that the gift might be hers as well as His. 

He wanted to teach us also by His Blessed Mother's 
example not to be discouraged if He seems to be dis- 
pleased with us, and to show us that our little troubles 
are no concern of His. It is only seeming. Every- 
thing that touches us interests Him and His holy 
Mother. They think for us before we think for our- 
selves. They feel for us, not in big troubles only, but 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 143 

in the least little annoyances and inconveniences. And 
they are always ready to help. 

Our Lord went to this feast, then, on purpose to show 
honour to His Mother. He went also to bless that mar- 
riage union which He was soon to raise to the dignity 
of a Sacrament, and to bless all innocent joy and merry- 
making. He was pleased to see the brightness all round 
Him at Cana, and He likes to see us, too, happy and 

gay. 

There was still another reason for the miracle. St. 
John, who was present and gives us the account, says: 
" This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Gali- 
lee, and He manifested His glory, and His disciples be- 
lieved in Him." Day by day the disciples were grow- 
ing in the knowledge of their Divine Master. From 
His words to Peter and to Nathaniel they had seen that 
He could read the future and the secrets of hearts. This 
splendid miracle at Cana showed that He had power 
over Nature. Their reverence as well as their love was 
deepening continually. St. John speaks particularly of 
the way in which this miracle increased their faith — as 
well it might. The other Evangelists tell us later of 
another and still greater miracle than this of Cana, a 
more stupendous change, and one that was to be wrought 
not once only, but thousands of times daily, all the 
world over, wherever Holy Mass is said by a Catholic 
priest. 

The thought of Cana helped the disciples when our 
Lord first spoke to them at Capharnaum of the Mystery 
of the Holy Eucharist, and when at the Last Supper 
He changed the bread and wine into His most sacred 
Body and Blood. And it helps us too who live so long 
after Him, but believe in Him as firmly as did His 
first disciples, and cry out to Him with Nathaniel : 

" Eabbi, Thou art the Son of God ! " 



XIX. 

THE COURT OF THE GENTILES. 

Immediately after the miracle at Cana, our Lord 
went with His Mother, His brethren, and His disciples 
to Capharnaum, a prosperous commercial town on the 
north-west coast of the Sea of Galilee. 

These brethren of Jesus, so called by Jewish cus- 
tom, were His near relations, the children of Mary, 
wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus, and sister or cousin of 
the Blessed Virgin. They were James, Simon, Jude 
and Joseph. James and Jude (also called Thaddeus), 
and perhaps Simon, became Apostles. 

They remained at Capharnaum not many days, for 
the Pasch was at hand, and the caravan from Galilee 
was starting for Jerusalem. Our Lord joined it, and 
on His arrival in the Holy City went to the Temple. 

It must always have been painful to Him to go there 
at this time and see what went on within those sacred 
walls. The lowest and largest quadrangle, the Court 
of the Gentiles, was like the rest of the Temple, a place 
for prayer, but at the time of the Pasch it looked like a 
market. The beautiful cloister and colonnades that 
ran along the inner side of the Court were filled with 
oxen, sheep and lambs innumerable. The tables of 
the money changers, piles upon piles of caged doves, 
stalls stocked with oil and incense, and whatever was 
needed for the various sacrifices, blocked up the space 
in every direction. As Roman subjects the Jews used 
Poman coins, but when they had to buy anything needed 
for the service of God, these had to be changed for 
sacred money. The wrangling that went on over this 

144 




TRAFFIC IN THE TEMPLE. 

My house is the house of prayer ; but you have made it a 
den of thieves." — Luke 19. 46. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 14Y 

exchange, the lowing of the cattle, the bleating of the 
sheep, the shouting as the animals were driven here and 
there, all the uproar of a huge market in which the pur- 
chasers numbered many thousands, was a daily profana- 
tion of this sacred Court, the only place open to the 
Gentiles when they came to the Temple for prayer. 

Time after time our Lord had seen this desecration 
of His Father's House when He came up to worship. 
He came now, not as a worshipper only but as an 
Avenger of His Father's glory. 

For a moment He looked around. Then, picking up 
from the pavement some bits of cord lying about, He 
twisted them into a scourge, and with uplifted arm 
came suddenly upon the traders and their merchandise, 
and drove them all out of the Temple, the sheep also 
and the oxen, and the money of the changers He poured 
out, and the tables He overthrew. And to them that 
sold doves He said: 

" Take these things hence and make not the House of 
My Father a house of traffic." 

Imagine the scene — the flight of the dealers and the 
changers; the terror of the beasts which broke loose 
and rushed right and left; the panic and cries of the 
crowd; on every side silver shekels rolling and lying, 
no one daring to pick them up, as men, women and chil- 
dren fled before Him. No need for Him to use the 
scourge. It was the Divine indignation of His eye that 
drove them forward. His disciples remembered that it 
was written : " The zeal of Thy House hath eaten Me 
up." Yet, even in His zeal He was kind. Whilst 
scourge in hand He drove the beasts, He stayed His 
hand before the caged doves. The timid, gentle things 
He would not frighten. He only said to those who 
sold them : " Take these things hence." 



148 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

At length He stopped and again looked round. The 
vast enclosure was deserted, but what a scene it pre- 
sented! tables, stalls, benches, overturned and, lying all 
about, the silver coins that will be picked up quickly 
when the crowd recovers itself and returns. Already a 
party of Jews are advancing to call the Nazarene to 
account for causing this disturbance. They keep clo3e 
together, and the spokesman, trying to show a bold 
front, asks: 

" What sign dost Thou show unto us, seeing Thou 
dost these things ? " 

" Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will build 
it up/' Jesus replies. 

They are indignant and say : " Six and forty years 
was this Temple in building, and wilt Thou raise it up 
in three days ? " 

But He spoke of the Temple of His body. 

The people of the East express themselves constantly 
in figurative language. They explain things difficult 
to understand by likening them to things which are 
well known, which can be seen or heard or felt. And 
they are quick to perceive the hidden meaning intended. 
By David's words : " The Lord is my rock," they un- 
derstand that God is strong and will support and shelter 
us. From those other words : " The Lord is my Shep- 
herd," they see that He is tender to us and takes care 
of us. A temple is built for the service of God and 
contains what is holy. The sacred body of our Lord 
was a beautiful shrine for the Divinity which dwelt 
within. Thus, when our Lord spoke of a Temple that 
was to be destroyed and raised up in three days, it was 
not difficult for them to know that He was speaking of 
His body. That they did understand this we know 
from the fact that when they had destroyed this Temple 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 149 

by putting Him to death, they went to Pilate and asked 
for soldiers to guard the sepulchre where He was buried 
until the third day, because He had said He would rise 
again. Of His disciples too we are told that " when 
He was risen again from the dead they remembered that 
He had said this, and they believed the word that Jesus 
had said." It was our Lord's custom to teach by means 
of figures and parables, because He knew that we all 
like a story, and that lessons in this form are more easily 
and pleasantly learned. 

The purifying of the Temple Court was not the only 
proof of His Divine Power which our Blessed Lord 
gave at this Pasch, " for many believed in Him seeing 
the signs which He did." 

A sign is something we see which makes known to us 
something we do not see. A high temperature is a 
sign of fever ; smoke, of a fire. We might have thought 
that the wonderful deed of power in clearing the Temple 
would have been taken by the Jews as a sign that our 
Lord was some holy one of God, perhaps the Holy One 
whom all men were expecting. John the Baptist had 
told them that He was in the midst of them, and had 
pointed out our Blessed Lord as the Lamb of God. A 
Voice from Heaven at His Baptism had declared Him 
to be the Son of God. We should have thought that 
when a Man appeared showing " signs " there would 
have been rejoicing from one end of the land to the 
other, and that all men would be saying : 

" Here, perhaps, is the Messiah ! " 

Some did believe in Him " seeing the signs which He 
did." But others, as we have seen, came round Him 
asking in a carping spirit : " What sign dost Thou 
show unto us ? " They were always asking for signs 
and always shutting their eyes to those which God gave 



150 JESUS OP KAZARETK. 

them. At this first Pasch began the series of splendid 
miracles which for three years were to make Palestine a 
Land of wonders, miracles wrought with generous hand 
to supply every need, to cure every disease and every in- 
firmity. And the reward of Him who thus went about 
doing good would be to see His enemies multiplied and 
to hear them saying with evergrowing blindness and 
obstinacy : " By what authority dost Thou do these 
things ? and who hath given Thee this authority % " 

The cleansing of the Temple was an act of authority 
which the Jewish leaders never forgave. From this 
time we find priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, 
usually so opposed to each other, united by a common 
hatred of Christ. They laid snares for Him to catch 
Him in His speech, they were always trying to set the 
people against Him, they said His wonderful works 
were done by the power of the devil, they charged Him 
continually with breaking the Sabbath and blaspheming 
against God. 

Yet not all were so preverse. Some among them 
were simple and upright souls, ready to see what God 
was showing them. One of these was a Pharisee named 
Nicodemus, a rich man and a ruler of the Jews, that is 
the president of a synagogue. This man came to Jesus 
by night and said to Him : 

" Eabbi, we know Thou art come a Teacher from 
God, for no man can do these signs which Thou dost 
unless God be with him." 

He came by night, for, although he half believed in 
our Lord and wanted to be taught by Him, he was 
afraid of what men might say. It would never do to 
have it noised abroad that a member of the Sanhedrin, 
"a master in Israel/Vas going for instructions to this 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 151 

new Teacher, the Son of a carpenter. Nicodenms did 
not want to be the talk of the city, and so he went by 
night. We can see him making his way through the 
deserted streets, and guided by the lamp burning in 
the guest-chamber on the roof, reaching it by the outside 
stair. Our Lord did not reproach him or think it waste 
of time to instruct so timid a disciple. But He received 
him kindly and was patient with him, and answered all 
his difficulties. It was to Nicodemus He taught the 
necessity of Baptism for salvation in the words we 
have in our Catechism : " Unless a man be born again 
of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the 
kingdom of God. 77 * 

It was to him He first spoke of His coming death on 
the Cross: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the 
desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." And it 
was to this earnest but timorous soul that He spoke of 
the incomprehensible love of God to us in giving us 
His Son : " For God so loved the world as to give His 
Only-Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him 
may not perish, but may have Life Everlasting." 

The graces of that night so enlightened Nicodemus 
that he became our Lord's faithful disciple. But it 
was still in secret. We do not find him mingling in the 
crowd. Once only, overcoming his timidity, he de- 
fended his Master before the Sanhedrin. And that 
good Master had patience with him as He had patience 
with us all. He thinks, not so much of what we are as 
of what we desire to be, of what we shall be some day. 
And so He waits for us. 

A day came when, hanging on the cross of shame, lay 
the lifeless body of Jesus of Nazareth. His own peo- 
ple had delivered Him up to death. He had been be- 

9 * John iii. 5. 



152 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

trayed by one apostle, denied by another, forsaken by 
all. His Mother stood beside the dead body of her Son. 
She had no friend to take Him down from the cross, to 
give Him a grave, to help her to bury Him. She looked 
around. Two men of noble bearing were coming 
towards her, two who had been disciples of Jesus, but 
secretly for fear of the Jews. The Jews were trium- 
phant now. They had tortured Him to death, they had 
called down His blood upon themselves and upon their 
children, they hated His Name and all that were His. 
The two men drew near. They brought myrrh and 
aloes and linen cloths. And, whilst His Apostles were 
hiding and His enemies were rejoicing, they reverently 
took down the sacred body from the cross and bound it 
in linen cloths with spices, and laid it in a new sepulchre 
in a garden. And one of them was Nicodemus. 



XX. 



AT JACOB S WELL. 

When the Pasch was over, our Lord went up and 
down the country of Judea preaching and baptizing by 
the hands of His disciples. Some take this baptism 
to have been, like that of the Precursor, merely a sign 
of repentance and of a desire to be cleansed from sin. 
Others believe it to have been the Sacrament instituted 
by Jesus Christ. The sweetness and attractiveness of 
our Blessed Lord drew to Him all hearts that evil pas- 
sions had not spoiled, and it seemed as if His Ministry 
were beginning happily, when opposition arose from 
an unexpected quarter. 

St. John the Baptist still continued to preach and 
baptize, but his work was nearly done, and every day 
some of his followers left him to become our Lord's 
disciples, to the great displeasure of those who remained 
with him. These said to him one day — and we can 
almost hear the peevish tones of their complaint: 

" Babbi, He that was with thee beyond the Jordan, 
to whom thou gavest testimony, behold He baptizeth, 
and all men come to Him." 

Did they not know their master better than this ? Did 
they think he would be jealous of Him who was to 
come, when his one thought and desire was to prepare 
hearts for Him % He had called our Lord " the Lamb 
of God." He gave Him now another beautiful name, 
and tried to show the troubled disciples that souls were 
right to go after Him to whom all souls belong as the 
bride belongs to the bridegroom. " He that hath the 
bride," he said, " is the Bridegroom, but the friend of 

153 



154 JESUS OF KAZABETH. 

the Bridegroom/' meaning himself, " is not jealous, but 
rejoiceth with joy because of the Bridegroom's voice. 
He must increase, but I must decrease." 

Yes, the end of that noble, unselfish life was nearly 
come. Soon after this St. John fearlessly rebuked 
Herod Antipas for wanting to marry Herodias, the wife 
of his brother Philip. Herod, stirred up by the wicked 
Herodias, was provoked, and taking John cast him into 
a strong and gloomy prison. 

"And when Jesus had heard that John was delivered 
up, He retired into Galilee. And He was of necessity 
to pass through Samaria." 

Have you ever noticed — dove-tailed into a piece of 
wood — a small bit of wood of another kind ? The dif- 
ference of colour and of grain strikes the eye at once, 
and shows the intruder to be no part of the natural 
growth, but a chip thrust in later from without. 

Something like this was the province of Samaria be- 
tween Galilee and Judea. Its inhabitants were a mixed 
race, partly Jews, partly Gentiles. When Salmanaser, 
king of Assyria, took the Ten Tribes into captivity, he 
sent some of his own subjects from Assyria to repeople 
the land of Samaria. They were idolaters, and con- 
tinued their heathen practices till, terrified by a plague 
of lions sent by God, they begged for one of the captive 
priests to teach them how to worship the God of the 
country. 

The priest was sent, but they would not give up their 
idols altogether, and worshipped them as well as the 
true God. For this reason the Jews of the Two Tribes, 
on their return from captivity, would have nothing to 
do with their idolatrous neighbours. In vain did the 
Samaritans beg to be allowed to help in rebuilding the 




CONSOLING THE AFFLICTED. 

" Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I 
will refresh you." — Matt. n. 28. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 157 

Temple: their aid was harshly refused. This was the 
beginning of the hatred between the two nations, dis- 
played in the haughty contempt of the Jews and in con- 
tinual annoyance on the part of the Samaritans. A 
Jew would draw his garments closely round him lest a 
Samaritan passing by should brush against them and 
defile him. He would consider himself grossly in- 
sulted to be called a Samaritan. Hence the contemptu- 
ous words to our Lord : " Thou art a Samaritan and 
hast a devil." 

The Samaritans on their side lost no opportunity of 
insulting and troubling the Jews. They would not go 
up to the Temple of Jerusalem, and set up a rival tem- 
ple of their own on Mount Gerazim. When the Jews 
lit beacon fires upon the hills to guide the caravans from 
Galilee to the Holy City at the time of the yearly 
Feasts, the Samaritans lit false beacons to mislead 
them. They illtreated travellers going up to Jerusa- 
lem, and often refused them a passage through their 
country, so that pilgrims had to go down the eastern 
bank of the Jordan and cross the river twice. 

Yet our Lord was not angry with these poor people, 
nor did He despise them as idolaters and outcasts. He 
is the Good Shepherd and all are His sheep, loved and 
cared for one by one. He guards those that are in the 
fold, and follows the wanderers when they stray. He 
was following a wanderer now as He toiled over the hilly 
country of Judea and entered one of Samaria's beauti- 
ful valleys. His Divinity did not save Him from 
fatigue and pain, for He was truly man, like us in all 
things excepting sin. And so He was footsore, weary 
and thirsty when about noon He neared the little town 
of Sichem. 

There was a well by the roadside, a very old one, that 



158 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

had been dug by Jacob and given by him to his son 
Joseph. It was much prized by the people of the 
country, both for its own sake, because water is precious 
in the East, and for the sake of the patriarchs to whom 
it had belonged. A welcome sight to the traveller in 
this sultry land was that well of Jacob with its shelter- 
ing archway and stone margin on which he might sit 
and rest. 

When our Lord, with His little party of five, reached 
the well He was too faint and spent with His journey 
to go further. Seeing this, the disciples begged Him to 
sit and rest whilst they went on to the town to buy 
food. 

Presently a woman of Samaria came to draw water. 
She had filled her pitcher and was going to poise it on 
her head, when Jesus said to her: 

" Give Me to drink." 

Surprised at such a request, for a glance had shown 
her the Stranger seated there was a Jew, she replied : 

" How dost Thou, who art a Jew, ask of me to drink 
who am a Samaritan woman % " 

Jesus answered : "If thou didst know the gift of 
God and who He is that saith to thee : Give Me to drink, 
thou perhaps wouldst have asked of Him and He would 
have given thee living water." 

What was this gift of God ? That of which He had 
spoken to Nicodemus when He said : " God so loved 
the world as to give His only-Begotten Son." Had she 
known that the Son of God was there before her, that 
she had all to herself Him whom the world was expect- 
ing, how eager she would have been to do Him this little 
service, and in exchange for a drink from her pitcher 
ask for that living water of grace which would cleanse 
her sinful soul, refresh its thirst, and preserve it for 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 159 

eternal Life! But she did not know the Gift of God, 
nor did she understand what the Stranger said. Still 
the words " living water " sounded delightful in her ear, 
and in a puzzled, wistful way she said : 

" Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst nor 
come hither to draw." 

It is God's way to move us to ask for a grace which 
He means to grant. The poor woman had asked as 
well as she knew how. Now, then, He would give. 
The first thing He gives is sorrow for sin. To bring 
her to this He let her see that He knew all her past 
life. Overwhelmed with astonishment she exclaimed: 

" Sir, I perceive that Thou art a Prophet." Then, 
thinking this a good opportunity of putting such a 
question, she asked if God was not as much pleased with 
their worship on Mount Gerazim as with that of the 
Temple in Jerusalem. She did not understand our 
Lord's answer and said : 

" I know that the Messiah cometh who will tell us 
all things." 

She wanted to be taught, she longed for her Re- 
deemer. Jesus could hide Himself no longer. 

" I am He who am speaking with thee," He said. 

This is the first time He had declared plainly who 
He was. 

During the three years of His Public Life His 
" signs/' that is His wonderful miracles, showed plainly 
that He was God. Only a few times did He say dis- 
tinctly that He was the long-expected Messiah, the Son 
of God. And the first time was to this poor Samaritan 
woman. 

How we should like to know her answer! But at 
that moment the disciples came up, and she, eager now 
for all her friends and all the townsfolk to come and 



160 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

know our Lord, hastened into Sichem saying to all she 
met: 

" Come and see a Man who has told me all things 
whatsoever I have done. Is not He the Christ ? " 

Her earnestness impressed those who heard her. She 
had evidently seen and heard something wonderful. 
And was there not a rumour that Christ had appeared 
in Galilee and Judea and was doing marvels ? But 
could He have come to them — Samaritans? Oh, if 
He had, how welcome they would make Him! Yield- 
ing to the woman's entreaty, the simple people nocked 
out in crowds to Jacob's well, asking her questions all 
the way. 

In the meantime the disciples gathered round their 
Master and pressed Him affectionately to take the food 
they had brought, saying: 

" Eabbi, eat." 

But He said to them : " I have meat to eat which 
you know not." 

They looked at one another astonished and said: 
" Hath any man brought Him to eat ? " 

Jesus said to them : " My meat is to do the Will 
of Him that sent Me." 

He meant that as men long for the food of the body 
to satisfy their hunger and thirst, so did He long to see 
His Father's Will done, and the souls of men redeemed 
and saved. Pointing to the cornfields, which in Pales- 
tine are silvery not golden at harvest time, as with us, 
He said: 

" Do you not say there are yet four months and then 
the harvest cometh ? Behold I say to you, lift up your 
eyes and see the countries, for they are white already 
to harvest." 

He was thinking of the Samaritans now hastening to 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 161 

Him, and was rejoicing in the thought of the faith 
already springing up in their hearts, that faith which 
at the preaching of His Apostles was to ripen and bring 
forth all manner of beautiful virtues. 

Many of the Samaritans believed in Him on the word 
of the woman — " He told me all things whatsoever I 
have done." And when they had themselves seen and 
heard Him, they were so charmed that they desired Him 
to tarry with them, says St. John. And He abode 
there two days. And many more believed in Him, be- 
cause of His own word. And they said to the woman: 

" We now believe, not for thy saying, for we our- 
selves have heard Him and know that this is indeed 
the Saviour of the world." 

What wonder that later on when the Jews obstinately 
refused to acknowledge Him as the Messiah, our Blessed 
Lord should have thought of those happy days at Sichem, 
and that when He wanted to teach a lesson of gratitude 
or of kindness to strangers, He spoke of the Samaritans ! 

As He watched the woman hastening with her joy- 
ful message to her fellow-citizens, He must have thought 
of a day to come, the brightest earth has ever seen, when 
another woman would hasten from an empty Sepulchre 
to tell His friends : " I have seen the Lord ! " 

And both these chosen messengers of His had been 
sinners ! 



XXI. 



A SABBATH AT NAZARETH. 



Our Lord was now on His way to Galilee. His 
fame was spreading far and wide, and His fellowtowns- 
men of Nazareth and other Galileans, many of whom 
had gone up to Jerusalem with Him year after year 
at the time of the great Feasts, were curious to see 
again and consider more attentively this Man of whom 
they had thought so little in the past. He came among 
them as before, simple and gentle, but with that charm 
of manner, that power of attracting hearts which has 
had nothing like it before or since. 

What we would give to have a true picture of Him as 
men saw Him when He went to and fro among the 
people of His day ! If only we knew what it was that 
made the crowds flock after Him, forgetting food, 
sleep, business, weariness, anything and everything so 
they might be with Jesus of Nazareth, so they might 
look upon His Face, and hear the tones of His Voice, 
and drink in His beauty as the thirsty ground drinks 
in the summer rain! 

But we have no such picture. In one of the Roman 
catacombs is a very old painting of Him. There we 
see an oval face, the beard not long and ending in a 
double point, the eye dark and penetrating, the ex- 
pression of the countenance grave and sad, yet full of 
sweetness, the long hair parted on the forehead and 
flowing over the shoulders. He wore a long tunic 
gathered in at the waist with a leathern belt, over this 
a kind of mantle or cloak, a veil bound round the head 
to protect the forehead and neck from the sun, and 

162 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 163 

sandals on His feet. His garments seem to have been 
white and of the same kind and shape that may be 
seen in the East to-day. 

So we may picture Him to ourselves. But the charm 
that hung about Him, this we cannot picture, this we 
must have felt to understand. There was something 
about Him that made men feel He was above them; 
His presence and manner awed as well as attracted 
them. They knew that He read the secrets of hearts. 
Yet the love that beamed in His glance, the sweetnesss 
of His smile, the grace of His every movement, won love 
no less than admiration and reverence. What man no- 
ticed in Him chiefly was the gentleness, the simplicity, 
the guilelessness of the lamb. This is what drew all 
hearts to Him. 

The Galileans had heard of the " signs " in Judea 
and they had not forgotten the miracle at Cana. There 
was the greatest excitement and enthusiasm then when 
the news got abroad that the great Wonderworker was 
coming. 

A certain ruler living at Capharnaum had a son who 
was dangerously ill of a fever. Hearing that Jesus 
was at Cana, he hastened to Him and begged Him to 
come down and heal the boy, for he was at the point of 
death. 

Jesus said to him : " Unless you see signs and won- 
ders you believe not." 

" Lord, come down before that my son die," was the 
answer. 

Every moment was precious. What if the Master 
should be too late! The ruler's faith, we see, was far 
from perfect, for he thought our Lord must be on the 
spot to cure. 

Jesus said to him : " Go thy way, thy son liveth." 



164 JESUS OF KAZARETH. 

The man believed the word which Jesus said to him 
and went his way. And as he was going down his 
servants met him, and they brought word that his son 
lived. He asked, therefore, the hour wherein he grew 
better. And they said to him : " Yesterday at the 
seventh hour the fever left him." The father there- 
fore knew that it was at the same hour that Jesus said 
to him : " Thy son Hveth," and himself believed and 
his whole house. 

The people of Nazareth, as was natural, were im- 
patiently awaiting our Lord's coming amongst them. 
They were getting proud of Him. They liked to hear 
Him called " Jesus of Nazareth." They hoped He 
would preach in their synagogue as He had been preach- 
ing in the other synagogues of Galilee. At last He 
came, and they looked forward eagerly to the next Sab- 
bath. Let us try to see the synagogue on that day. 

A long hall, divided by a balustrade into two parts, 
the men on one side, the women on the other. Facing 
them in a kind of sanctuary, a wooden ark or chest 
covered with a veil and enclosing the rolls of parch- 
ment on which the Law of Moses was written. Before 
this ark a lamp that burns day and night. Pharisees 
coming in with heads erect, marching to the top seats, 
all respectfully saluting and making way for them. 
Husbands and wives separating at the door and taking 
their places, children going with father or mother. 

They have come for prayer and instruction, not for 
sacrifice, which may be offered only in the Temple of 
Jerusalem. They have come also to see Jesus of Naz- 
areth and to hear Him, for any Rabbi or distinguished 
stranger may be asked to read and explain the passage 
from the Prophets appointed for the day. They hope, 




THE DEAD MAN OF NAIM. 

"And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak, 
gave him to his mother." — Luke 7. 15. 



And He 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 16? 

too, to see some miracle, and are full of eager curi- 
osity. 

He comes in, puts on the scarf of white wool with 
blue stripes and fringes worn by every Jew on entering 
the synagogue for worship, goes to His place, not up 
there with the honoured, but with the poor, and kneels 
down to pray. All heads are turned towards Him, all 
faces glow with admiration as they watch Him. 

The service begins with the usual prayers, and then 
the minister takes a scroll from the ark and looks around 
to see if anyone will offer to read and explain. See the 
delight on every face as Jesus rises and holds out His 
hand for the scroll. He mounts the raised platform in 
the centre of the building from which the Rabbis 
speak to the people, unrolls the book and reads : 

" The spirit of the Lord is upon Me, wherefore He 
hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, to 
heal the contrite of heart, to preach deliverance to the 
captive, and sight to the blind, to preach the acceptable 
day of the Lord and the day of reward." He folds 
the book, returns it to the minister and sits down. The 
eyes of all in the synagogue are fixed upon Him, not a 
sound is to be heard. 

He tells the people that these words refer to Him 
and to the work He is come to do. He is sent to 
preach good tidings to them, to heal their sick souls, to 
free them from their sins. His grave and beautiful 
face beams with loving interest as He looks round upon 
them. They are those among whom He has lived 
nearly all His Life. Hitherto He has had to be silent, 
but now He may speak and help. He teaches them in 
words so full of grace and power that His hearers are 
filled with wonder. And yet — you remember the kind 
of people these Nazarenes are — they seem to take it 



168 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

amiss that their village carpenter, who has been at their 
beck and call all His life, who has never studied, and 
understands nothing but His tools, should now be their 
teacher, and even make Himself out to be the Messiah. 

" Is not this the son of Joseph ? " they whisper to one 
another. " He has said nothing about the glorious 
Kingdom of the Messiah, nor of what He is going to do 
for us. And there have been no signs in Nazareth as in 
the places round about. Surely the place where He 
was brought up and His fellow-citizens should be more 
to Him than a young couple at Cana and a sick lad at 
Capharnaum ?" Notice the Pharisees scowling their 
disapproval, the restlessness beginning to show itself all 
round. Hear the discontented words. 

Now, have they any right to behave like this ? Is it 
reverent so to treat One whose words and works show 
plainly that He comes from God, if indeed He is not 
Himself God ? " No man can do these signs unless 
God be with Him," said Nicodemus. So should these 
Nazarenes be saying. 

Look at our Blessed Lord, calm amid the growing ex- 
citement. He hears the whispering, He sees into every 
heart. Now He is speaking : 

" Doubtless you will say to Me : Physician, heal Thy- 
self, as great things as we have heard done in Caphar- 
naum, do also here in Thy own country. But I say 
to you no prophet is accepted in his own country. 
There were many widows and lepers in Israel in the 
days of Elias and Eliseus, yet not to them but to 
Naaman the Syrian and to a widow of Sarepta were the 
Prophets sent. 77 

This is too much. What ! does He mean to say that 
strangers and Gentiles are to be preferred to them, the 
children of Abraham! In a frenzy of rage they rush 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 169 

upon Him, drag Him out of the synagogue up the steep 
street and on to the brow of the hill whereon their city 
is built, that they may cast Him down headlong. He is 
on the edge of the rock, they are going to hurl Him 
down, and — passing through the midst of them He goes 
His way. 

This, then, is the end of that Sabbath day's welcome. 
The men of Nazareth, like those of Jerusalem later, 
reject Him and drag Him up a hill to make away with 
Him. Between these two murderous scenes how much 
ill usage and ingratitude He will have to bear from 
those whom He wants to help ! There will be no resis- 
tance, no complaint — but oh! what pain in that af- 
fectionate sensitive Heart of His ! 



XXII. 

HIS OWN CITY. 

Up to this time our Lord's disciples have not been 
always with Him. Now they are to be called by Him 
in a solemn manner to be His constant companions. 

On leaving Nazareth, He went to Capharnaum, which 
you will remember was on the shore of the Sea of Gali- 
lee. Walking one day along the beach, He saw Peter 
and Andrew casting a net into the sea. And He said 
to them: 

" Come after Me and I will make you to be fishers 
of men." 

And immediately leaving their nets they followed 
Him. And going a little farther He saw James, the 
son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a ship with 
Zebedee their father mending their nets, and He called 
them. And they immediately, leaving their nets and 
their father, followed Him. All they had — father, 
mother, the fishing by which they earned their living, 
all their little possessions — they left for His sake, not 
willingly only but joyfully. They did not care where 
He took them, or what He did with them, or how much 
they might suffer in His company. To be with Him, 
to belong to Him, this was enough. 

You notice that we have now a sixth disciple, James, 
the brother of John, and like him a fisherman. Most of 
those who were to be after our Lord the founders of 
the Church were fishermen, about the last class of men 
we should have thought suitable for such a work. Go 
down to any seaside place and watch the fishermen put- 
ting out to sea or tugging in their nets. Do they look 

170 



JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 171 

fit to be the teachers of the world? They know the 
ways of fish, and something about the weather, and how 
to manage their craft — and that is about all. The 
fishermen of Galilee were much the same as those you 
have seen, rough, simple, ignorant. And out of them 
our Lord made the Princes of His Church. He would 
not have it said that the world was converted by the 
learning of the teachers He sent to preach the Gospel, 
but He would force men to own that if such preachers 
could convince the wise and the great of the truth of 
the religion which they taught, it must be because God 
was with them, and therefore this religion must be 
divine. 

Our Lord was so much at Capharnaum and so many 
of His miracles were worked there, that it came to be 
called " His own city." It was a busy place. Roman 
soldiers with their centurion passed to and fro, for 
it was a garrison town. Pharisees and Doctors of the 
Law, courtiers of Herod, custom-house officers, fisher- 
men, thronged its streets; and in its market place and 
bazaars the traders of many nations were found. 

Let us follow our Blessed Lord through one of His 
days in Capharnaum, a Sabbath day, of which three 
out of the four Evangelists have left us an account. 

At the hour of prayer He was in the synagogue, a 
handsome structure built for the Jews by the Eoman 
centurion of the place, who, though a Gentile, was kind 
to the conquered people, and reverenced their God. Our 
Lord, according to His custom, was speaking to the 
congregation, when, suddenly, a shriek was heard, so 
piercing, so unearthly, that it was hard to believe it was 
the cry of a human being- Yet this it was, though not 
of a human being only. 
10 



172 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Before the coming of Jesus Christ, evil spirits had 
much more power than they have had since. They 
used this power to torment cruelly those who were " pos- 
sessed " by them, throwing them into the fire and into 
the water, and making them say and do things which 
of themselves they would never have done. One of 
these poor creatures had got into the synagogue, and 
in the midst of our Lord's discourse cried out say- 
ing: 

" What have we to do with Thee, Jesus of Nazareth ! 
Art Thou come to destroy us ? I know Thee who Thou 
art, the Holy One of God." 

Dismal and fearful cry ! The evil spirits knew that 
Jesus had not come for them. They had nothing to do 
with Him. They hated Him and all that were His. 
How glad and grateful we must be that He has come 
for us, that we have everything to do with Him, that we 
belong to Him and He to us, that He has saved us from 
sin and hell. 

Jesus rebuked the Evil One saying: " Hold thy 
peace and go out of him." 

And the devil, when he had thrown him in the midst, 
tearing him and crying out with a loud voice, went out 
of him. 

What a fearful scene! At the cry of the possessed 
man the people had sprung to their feet in terror. 
Then, curiosity overcoming fear, they came and stood 
round him as he lay on the ground, freed at last from 
his enemy, and looking up with tears of gratitude into 
the face of his Deliverer. But when he rose and went 
quietly away admiration broke forth in words of wonder 
and praise: 

" Who is this that with power commands even the 
wicked spirits and they obey Him ? " 



JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 173 

Soon all Capharnaum knew what had happened in 
the synagogue, and on and on from town to town the 
news new till all Judea had heard. 

Encouraged, no doubt, by what they had seen, the 
disciples tell the Master that Simon's wife's mother is 
lying sick of a great fever, and they ask Him to go to 
her. He goes at once with James and John, making 
His way with difficulty through the crowds who are 
discussing the event of the morning. 

Standing over the sick woman, He commands the 
fever and it leaves her. And He lifts her up, taking her 
by the hand. The Evangelists notice that when our 
Lord and His disciples sat down afterwards to their 
humble meal, it was the invalid of an hour ago that 
served them. St. Luke, who was a doctor, notes par- 
ticularly that it was " a great fever," and that " im- 
mediately rising she ministered to them." Our Lord's 
cures left no weakness after them. 

The tidings of the cure at Simon's house soon spread 
and increased the enthusiasm caused by the event in the 
synagogue. If Jesus of Nazareth could cure the pos- 
sessed and the fever-stricken, why should not all the 
sick in Capharnaum be healed? The excitement was 
intense. The diseased and afflicted of every kind, even 
those blind, deaf or dumb from birth, must all be 
brought to Him ; there was hope for all. 

As soon as the sun was down and the Sabbath over, a 
sad procession was on its way to Peter's house. But 
was it sad ? Oh, no : the lame were hastening along on 
their crutches, the quiet faces of the blind beamed with 
hope, even the deaf and dumb had somehow come to 
understand what was in store for them. Of course 
there was trouble in getting the possessed to go forward, 
and there was risk in bringing out the dying. But what 



174 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

were risk and trouble provided every one of them could 
get to Him in the end ! 

"And all the city was gathered together at the door," 
says St. Mark; the sick in their beds filling the street, 
the other afflicted ones massed together, pressing against 
the door; whilst choking up all the narrow thorough- 
fares an immense throng moved slowly forward, " all 
the city " coming to see what would happen. Could 
those who saw that sight ever forget it, ever forget the 
faces of that multitude when the door opened and Jesus 
of Nazareth stood on the threshold? 

He came out, and, going up and down among the 
rows of sick and dying, laid His hands tenderly on all 
and healed them by that touch. We are expressly told 
that not one was sent away disappointed. " He, laying 
His hands on every one of them, healed them. And 
devils went out of many crying and saying: Thou art 
the Son of God." 

Think of the streets of Capharnaum that evening : the 
cured being surrounded, questioned, congratulated on 
all sides ; the wonder, the thanksgiving, the delirium of 
joy everywhere. Was there any going to bed that 
night ? 

And where was He who had made them all so happy ? 
Tired in body and sad at heart, He lay down for a little 
rest when at last all had gone home satisfied. But, 
rising very early in the morning, He went out into a des- 
ert place and there He prayed. The crowds, however, 
came in search of Him. And Simon followed after 
Him and said to Him : 

"All men seek for Thee." 

And He said : " Let us go into the neighbouring 
towns and cities that I may preach there also, for there- 
fore am I sent." 




THE PENITENT SINNER. 

" Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. 
—Luke 7. 47. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 177 

Well might He be tired in body after such a day, but 
why was He sad at heart? Because He was God as 
well as man, and therefore suffered as no mere man 
could do. He saw into every heart, He knew what 
was to come. He knew that His own city after all 
these miracles would refuse to believe in Him and 
would have to be punished. One day, when His time 
of preaching was drawing to a close, He began to up- 
braid the cities wherein were done the most of His 
miracles, for that they had not done penance : 

"Wo to thee, Corozain ! Wo to thee, Bethsaida ! And 
thou, Capharnaum, thou shalt go down even unto hell. 
For if in Sodom had been wrought the miracles that 
have been wrought in thee, perhaps it had remained 
unto this day. But I say unto thee that it shall be more 
tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment 
than for thee." 



XXIII. 



One day the multitudes pressed so eagerly upon Him 
as He was walking by the Sea of Galilee, that our Lord 
got into a boat, which was Simon Peter's, and told 
him to push off a little from the land. Then, sitting 
down in the boat, He taught the people who came crowd- 
ing down right to the water's edge. When He had 
finished speaking He said to Simon: 

" Launch out into the deep and let down your nets 
ior a draught." 

Now, Simon and his partners had been out all night 
casting their nets first on one side then on the other, 
and all to no purpose. " What was the use," a fisher- 
man might have said, " of trying any more at present V 9 
But Simon had seen enough by this time to make him 
obey without a word. 

" Master," he said, " we have laboured all night and 
have taken nothing, but at Thy word I will let down 
the net." 

And when they had done this they enclosed a very 
great multitude of fishes and their net broke. And 
they beckoned to their partners that were in the other 
ship that they should come and help them. And they 
came and filled both the ships so that they were almost 
sinking. Lower and lower sank the boats till the water 
was almost level with the edge. It was scarcely safe 
to move. Peter was overpowered with the greatness 
of the miracle. How near God was ! How unfit was 
he to be in His Presence ! Trembling, he cast himself 
at the feet of Christ, crying out : 

178 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 179 

" Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord ! " 

For he was wholly astonished and all that were with 
him at the draught of fishes which they had taken. 
And so were also James and John, who were Simon's 
partners. 

And Jesus said to Simon : " Fear not, from hence- 
forth thou shalt catch men." 

And, having brought their ships to land, leaving all 
things they followed Him. Simon must have followed, 
wondering what those words could mean : " Henceforth 
thou shalt catch men." 

As our Lord was walking one day through a certain 
city, whose name we are not told, a miserable object 
that had managed to escape notice darted from out a 
hiding place and flung itself on His path. It was a 
man, but in so frightful and loathsome a state as to 
appear scarcely human. Coarse white hair half cover- 
ing what remained of a face, eyes glassy and staring, 
eyelids and lips gone, cheeks eaten away by disease, neck 
and hands covered with white scales — he is described by 
St. Luke the physician in three words : " a man full of 
leprosy." 

He had no business in the city, for lepers were for- 
bidden to approach their fellow-men. They carried 
about with them the corruption of the grave, their 
presence polluted the air ; they were counted as already 
dead, whose place was among the tombs, not in the 
homes of the living. Their nearest and dearest fled 
from them, they were driven out into the wilderness 
with the beasts. Without shelter, or food, or medi- 
cine, or covering for their misery, they wandered about, 
objects of fear and horror to all. If any came near 
them, they were bound to cry out their dismal warning 



180 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

— " Unclean ! Unclean ! " From a distance they 
begged of passers by a morsel of bread, an old rag to 
cover their sores. Men shouted after them, threw 
stones at them and reviled them, not because they were 
wicked but because they were so sorely afflicted, because 
they were lepers. 

This poor leper knew that by coming into the city he 
was breaking the Law. But he had heard that Jesus 
of Nazareth healed every disease and every infirmity, 
perhaps He would have pity on Him. There he lay, his 
mouth in the dust of our Lord's feet, hiding his disfig- 
ured face. But as he fell down there a cry had gone up : 

" Lord, if Thou wilt Thou canst make me clean." 

And Jesus having compassion on him stretched forth 
His hand and touched him and said : 

" I will ; be thou made clean." 

A word would have been enough, but He touched him. 
He did not shrink from those loathsome sores. He be- 
held them with divine compassion, and — perhaps be- 
cause the leper is the, image of the sinner — He touched 
them with infinite gentleness. And instantly the leper 
was cleansed. There was no time for the indignant 
crowd to revile him, to catch up stones and cast at him, 
for before the sound of his prayer had died away he 
was a leper no more. " Lord, if Thou wilt Thou canst 
make me clean." " I will ; be thou made clean." The 
words came back like the echo of his own. 

Oh, words and touch of Christ ! All he had lost they 
restored. He felt the life blood coursing freely through 
his veins. The pain, the unsightliness, the misery of 
mind and body — all with those hideous scales had fallen 
from him. He was a free man once more, free to stand 
up erect among his fellow-men, to go back to the old 
home and to all he loved. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 181 

Our Lord looked down kindly on the radiant face 
lifted to His and said: 

" See thou tell no one, but go, show thyself to the 
priest." 

Willingly would he present himself to the priest to 
have his cure attested. But keep silence when his 
heart was bursting with joy and praise, how could he ? 
Surely, he thought, this command did not bind him, 
and going away he began to blaze abroad what Jesus of 
Nazareth had done for him. 

A vast crowd gathered one morning round a house 
in Capharnaum. Within the Master sat teaching. 
There was no room; no, not even at the door, for the 
cure of the leper had made a great sensation throughout 
the country, and " Pharisees and doctors of the Law 
from every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem," 
were there. It was not with any hope of gaining ad- 
mittance that the patient crowd waited, but to catch 
a glimpse of the great Teacher, perhaps to hear the 
tones of His voice as He came out. 

Presently four men appeared carrying on his mat- 
tress bed a man sick of the palsy. Round and round 
the throng they went, and at last succeeded in making 
their way through and reaching the door. But no 
persuasion could win them entrance, and they were 
told angrily to go away and not make a disturbance. 
They seemed to yield, but after a while were seen haul- 
ing their helpless burden up the narrow outside stair- 
case that led to the roof. Then they began to lift up 
the tiles of the roof, not without much noise and grave 
displeasure of the audience within. At last a hole 
large enough to admit the bed was made, and the sick 
man was let down into the midst before Jesus. 



182 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

And when Jesus had seen their faith, He said to the 
sick of the palsy: 

" Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee." 

Our Lord saw the state of the soul as distinctly as 
that of the body, and because He knew the much greater 
value of the soul, He thought of its health first. The 
poor man held up his trembling hands and looked wist- 
fully at the great Physician, thinking only of the heal- 
ing of the body, or afraid, perhaps, that his sins would 
render him unworthy of cure. In reward of his faith 
our Lord gave him true sorrow for his sins, without 
which there can be no forgiveness, and then He forgave 
them. 

Now notice carefully what happened, for this scene, 
like another at Capharnaum later, is one of the most 
important in our Lord's Life. Remember who sat 
there, quite an unusual gathering, Pharisees and doc- 
tors of the Law from every town of Galilee and Judea. 
These men began to think in their hearts : 

" Why doth this Man speak thus ? " He blasphemeth. 
Who can forgive sins but God only ? 

And Jesus seeing their thoughts said to them : "Why 
think you evil in your hearts ? Which is easier to say : 
Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say : Arise and walk ? 
But that you may know that the Son of Man hath power 
on earth to forgive sins " — He said to the sick of the 
palsy: 

" I say to thee, arise, take up thy bed and go into thy 
house." 

And immediately, rising before them, he took up his 
bed on which he lay and went his way in the sight of 
all, glorifying God. And all were astonished and 
glorified God saying: 

" We have seen wonderful things to-day." 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 183 

Notice in how many ways our Lord here shows Him- 
self to be God. He sees the faith of the poor paralytic 
and his friends ; He sees the evil thoughts of the Phari- 
sees; He sees the sin on the soul; He forgives it, and 
works a miracle on the body to prove His power over 
the soul. 

St. Matthew says " they glorified God who gave such 
power to men." That is, they glorified God, not only 
for the cure of this poor man, but because the miracle 
had proved in the sight of such a multitude that it was 
possible to give to men the power of forgiving sin. 

If people laugh at us for going to confession, and say 
they tell their sins to God and not to man — " who can 
forgive sins but God alone ? " Let us think of this 
scene at Capharnaum and of another in Jerusalem on 
Easter Day, when our Blessed Lord, appearing to the 
Apostles, passed on to them His own power, saying: 
" Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven." 
And let us with the simple grateful people of Caphar- 
naum glorify God who has given such power to men. 

Followed as usual by the crowd, our Blessed Lord 
took the road from Capharnaum to the Sea of Galilee. 
Vessels were coming up to the little quay and discharg- 
ing their cargoes, which were then carried up to the 
toll-booth of Matthew the publican, whose duty it was 
to tax them. He was sitting in the midst of bales of 
goods and piles of money, when, suddenly, amidst the 
noise and confusion of men coming and going, a Voice 
from without was heard : 

" Follow Me." 

Matthew turned round, met the glance of Jesus of 
Nazareth, who was passing by, rose up immediately, 
and went out. He had probably seen our Lord before 



184 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

this and heard Him preach. But to be noticed by Hiir^ 
to be called to be His disciple — this was an honour he 
had never dreamed of. Not another thought for the 
business he was leaving, for the money just taken, for 
what people would say. The great Prophet and Won- 
derworker had called him — him a publican ! His heart 
leaped with joyful surprise: It seemed too good to be 
true. 

Publicans were looked upon as traitors to their 
country and to their God, because they collected the 
taxes for the Eomans, and as enormous sinners be- 
cause of the injustice of which many among them were 
guilty. Every Jew, even the poorest, shunned and de- 
spised them. The righteous Pharisees drew away their 
garments lest those of a publican should touch and de- 
file them. It must have astonished the disciples them- 
selves to find a publican admitted into their little band. 
As for Matthew, he was obliged to find an outlet for his 
joy by giving a feast at which many publicans and sin- 
ners sat down with Jesus and His disciples. How de- 
lightful it is to think of our Blessed Lord making Him- 
self at home in such company ! 

But some Pharisees came in at the open door to look 
on, as was usual in the East, and to find fault and 
disturb the happy gathering, which was not usual. 

" Why doth your Master eat and drink with publi- 
cans and sinners ? " they asked the disciples. 

Jesus hearing it said to them : " They that are well 
need not the physician, but they that are sick. I came 
not to call the just but sinners." 

Perhaps these just ones went away ashamed. Any- 
way we hear of no further objections at that time. 




THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS. 

Lord, my daughter is even now dead; but come, lay tiry 
hand upon her, and she shall live." — Matt. 9. 18. 



XXIV. 



THE TWELVE. 



And now the second Pasch of our Lord's Public Life 
had come. The country from one end to the other was 
ringing with the sound of His Name. In the crowded 
cities, in lonely hamlets, in the synagogues, the bazaars, 
the streets, the Temple itself, Jesus of Nazareth and 
His marvellous works were the talk of high and low. 
Herod Antipas in Galilee, Pontius Pilate in Judea, 
came to hear of Him, and in their own households He 
had found adherents. Joanna, the wife of Herod's 
steward, Claudia Procula, the Governor's wife, and 
many others of rank and influence, either followed Him 
openly with the crowd or believed in secret. The news 
of fresh cures sped like wildfire through the land, and 
kept up an enthusiasm which grew daily. For the 
miracles of which we are told in the holy Gospels are 
samples only of the immense numbers wrought. Day 
after day, in all sorts of places, and at all hours He was 
amongst the sick and suffering. He " went about doing 
good," this was the business of His Life. 

It was blazed abroad how on one Sabbath He had 
healed a man whom all Jerusalem knew, the paralytic 
at the Probatica pond, who for nearly forty years had 
lain there looking wistfully at the water that would have 
cured him could he have found a friend to help him 
into it when it was troubled. Jesus of Nazareth had 
seen him, and, unasked, had cured him, bidding him 
take up his bed and go into his house. The people did 
shout when he swung his bed over his shoulder and 
walked away. But he had not gone far when some 

187 



188 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Pharisees came and stopped him, telling him he was 
breaking the Sabbath by carrying his bed. 

On another Sabbath He was teaching in a full syna- 
gogue. There was a man before Him whose hand was 
withered. Everyone was crowding up to the top seats 
where the Pharisees were and to the raised desk at 
which Jesus sat. Of course the man would be healed, 
and of course the Pharisees would be scandalized and 
shake their heads, and the people wanted to see and 
enjoy it all. 

And so it happened. The Scribes and Pharisees 
watched Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. 
And Jesus looked steadily at them, and there was no 
fear on His face. Then He looked at the man and 
said to him: 

"Arise, and stand forth in the midst." 

And rising, he stood forth. Then Jesus said to 
them: 

" I ask you if it be lawful to do good on the Sab- 
bath day?" 

But they held their peace. And He said : 

" What man among you whose sheep hath fallen into 
a pit on the Sabbath day will not take hold on it and lift 
it up ? How much better is a man than a sheep. 
Therefore it is lawful to do a good deed on the Sab- 
bath." And He looked round about on them with 
anger, and His countenance was terrible to see. And 
He said to the man: 

" Stretch forth thy hand." 

And he stretched it forth sound and strong like the 
other. 

It was always the same thing, said the crowd. If 
the Pharisees would not believe in Him, they might at 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 189 

least let Him alone. But no, they must follow Him 
everywhere with their " Why ? " and " It is not law- 
ful." 

He was walking through the cornfields on another 
Sabbath, and His disciples who were hungry began to 
pluck the ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands. 
At once the Pharisees were down upon them: 

" Why do you that/' they said " which is not lawful 
on the Sabbath day ? " 

The Pharisees and the priests never joined in the 
people's shouts of praise. TSTot they; it would have 
been beneath them. Instead of being glad when the 
sick and the demoniacs came from Him cured and 
happy, they rebuked them sharply and told them it was 
wrong to have anything to do with Jesus of Nazareth, 
because it was only with the help of the prince of devils 
that He cast out devils and wrought these cures. 

After this fashion the people talked about Him and 
about their rulers, whose jealousy and hatred were plain 
to all. 

Our Lord began the second year of His Ministry by 
an act of the greatest importance, an act which con- 
cerns the eternal welfare of every one of us. He 
founded the Apostolic College, and thus laid the founda- 
tion of His Church which was to carry on to the end of 
time His work for the souls of men. 

The world was dark and the way to Heaven difficult 
to find before He came. How dark it would be again 
when He was gone ! So those thought who loved Him 
and followed Him. Well might they cry out : " Stay 
with us, O Lord ! " He was everything to them. They 
had no need to seek for the truth, but only to believe 
Him and do as He bade them. If their enemies were 



190 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

cunning and strong, He was at hand, always ready to 
help. If trouble came they could cling to Him, and 
He would take care of them. But what would become 
of His followers when He had gone away? 

Our Lord, too, asked Himself this question. To 
understand His own answer to it we must bear in 
mind His tender love, not for those only who nocked 
to Him during His Life on earth, but for every soul 
redeemed with His Precious Blood; that is, for every 
one of us. However unimportant in the eyes of men, 
however sinful we may be, we have each of us a place 
in the Heart of Christ; each one may say with St. 
Paul: " He loved me and delivered Himself for me." 

Because He loves us He had to find a way by which 
the Gospel or good tidings He has brought to the world 
might reach us, by which we who have never seen His 
face or heard the sound of His voice may know what we 
must do to save our souls. Like those who crowded 
about Him in the villages of Judea and the towns of 
Galilee, we should want to be taught and comforted, we 
should have sins to be forgiven. And because we are 
most of us poor and simple and have to work hard for 
our daily bread, we should need a plain and simple way 
to Heaven. We have no time, even were we clever 
enough, to think out hard questions. 

Our dear Lord knew all about us, and this is what 
He did. Prom among those who believed in Him and 
listened with docility to His teaching, He chose twelve 
whom He called Apostles, or messengers " sent," be- 
cause they were commissioned by Him to carry on His 
work among men and teach what they had themselves 
been taught. These Twelve He kept constantly with 
Him. He instructed them very carefully in all they 
would have to know. He answered their difficulties. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 191 

He told them secrets not made known to the crowd. 
What He taught to others in parables He explained to 
them apart. 

Our Blessed Lord made a very solemn preparation 
for this choice of His Apostles. The evening before, 
says St. Luke, " He went out into a mountain to pray, 
and He passed the whole night in the prayer of God/' 
not because He needed prayer, but for our example, who 
need it very much when we have any important work to 
do or decision to take. 

"And when day was come He called unto Him His 
disciples, whom He would Himself. And He made 
that twelve should be with Him that He might send 
them to preach." He gave them His own power to 
heal the sick, to cast out devils, to raise the dead, to 
forgive sins. When He was leaving the earth He bade 
them go into the whole world and preach the Gospel 
to every creature. He promised to send down upon 
them His Holy Spirit, who should abide with them 
for ever and lead them into all truth, and to be with 
them Himself even to the end of the world. 

Because they were to teach His truth, and with His 
authority, men were to listen to them as to Him. " He 
that heareth you heareth Me," He said, " and he that 
despiseth you despiseth Me." By " you " our Lord 
must have meant, not the Apostles only but their succes- 
sors. For these twelve men were to die, but their work 
was not to stop with their death. They were to pass it 
on to their successors, and with these as with the first 
Twelve Christ promised to remain till the end of time. 

Those who heard the Apostles and believed what 

they taught were to form a society or Church whose 

members would be, some in Heaven, some in Purgatory 

and some on earth. Those who have reached Heaven 
11 



192 JESUS Off HAZAKETH. 

are the Church Triumphant, those in Purgatory are the 
Church Suffering, those on earth are the Church Mili- 
tant or Fighting. The Church Militant consists of two 
classes, the teachers and the taught. For Christ did 
not say to all His followers but only to the Twelve and 
their successors : " He that heareth you heareth Me." 
The Apostles, then, and their successors, the Bishops, 
are the Church Teaching, the laity are the Church 
Taught. 

The first Christians knew their place as learners. 
They did not argue with the Apostles, or pick and 
choose among the doctrines taught them. So earnestly 
did their teachers impress upon them the necessity of 
holding fast what they had been taught, that St. Paul 
said to his converts : " If an angel from Heaven preach 
a gospel to you besides that we have preached let him be 
anathema ;"* that is, accursed. 

Why such tremendous words? Because St. Paul 
knew that what he and his fellow-Apostles taught was 
not their own doctrine, but the teaching of their Divine 
Master, which was to be passed on unchanged till He 
should come again. 

Our Lord prayed that His followers might be one, 
all believing the same truths, all uniting in the same 
worship, all using the same means of salvation which 
He had provided for them, all obeying the ruler He 
had set over them. To keep them one, He put them all 
into Peter's charge, as we shall see later, and by His 
prayer for Peter and promises to Peter He secured him 
and his successors against the possibility of leading the 
Church astray. 

We must learn something about these Twelve whom 



Galat. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 193 

Christ our Lord chose out of all men to carry on His 
work, to preach the Gospel and to plant the Church. 

Peter. In the four lists drawn up by the Evange- 
lists, St. Peter is always named the first. St. Matthew 
says : " The names of the twelve Apostles are these — 
the first Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his 
brother; James, the son of Zebedee, and John his 
brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Mat- 
thew the publican; James, the son of Alpheus and 
Thaddeus; Simon the Canaanean, and Judas Iscariot, 
who also betrayed Him." 

" The first Simon." Our Lord had made him first, 
and they all acknowledged him as such. When a ques- 
tion was asked they let Peter answer for them. They 
noticed that their Master taught from Peter's boat, that 
He treated him differently from the rest, expected more 
of him, reproved and warned him specially, promised 
him favours that were for himself alone, and gave him 
charge of the rest. Peter's was an ardent, impetuous 
nature. His heart was full of deep, devoted love of 
his Master. But he trusted too much in himself. In 
the hour of trial his courage failed him, and he thrice 
denied Him for whom he had left all things and thought 
he was ready to lay down his life. But if he fell griev- 
ously he rose quickly and grandly. ILis was the kind 
of repentance our Lord loves. He wept bitterly, and 
all his life, his cheeks were furrowed with his tears. 
But there was no gloom, no mistrust, no damping of the 
courage which had made him do and dare great things. 

Peter's faith in our Lord's Divinity made him 
shudder with horror when he heard of the mocking and 
the scourging and the spitting that were to come. "Far 
be it from Thee, O Lord," he cried, " this shall not be 
to Thee." And at the Last Supper he would not suffer 



194 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

our Lord to wash his feet : " Thou shalt never wash 
my feet," he said. But when Jesus threatened to have 
nothing more to do with him, he went to the other ex- 
treme and offered his hands and his head. When the 
hour came for Peter to ]ay down his life for Christ in 
the persecution of Nero, he showed his humility by beg- 
ging to be crucified with his head downwards, deeming 
himself unworthy to suffer in the same posture as his 
Lord. 

Andrew, his brother, the " Bringer to Christ," has 
the glory of being the first called of the Apostles, and of 
having brought Peter to Jesus. He seems to have been 
the oldest of the Twelve, and when we hear of him he 
is generally presenting some one to our Lord. 

James and John, the sons of Zebedee and Salome, 
were called by our Lord " Boanerges," or the " Sons 
of Thunder." They had much to learn before they be- 
came like their Master, meek and humble of heart. 
All who would not welcome Him they would have 
liked to see destroyed by fire from Heaven. And they 
were ambitious, too, asking to sit on His right hand 
and on His left in the Kingdom they thought He was 
going to set up on earth. Think of rough, ignorant 
fishermen applying for the chief places at Court, to be 
royal ministers in the new Kingdom! 

Yet with all their faults, their love for their Master 
was deep and generous, and they were His special fa- 
vourites. He took them, with Peter, to places where 
the other Apostles were not admitted. They were at 
the Transfiguration, at the Agony in the Garden, and 
at the raising to life of Jairus' little daughter. And 
He gave them something better than the first places 
they wanted. James was the first among the Apostles 
to give his life for his Master, and John was first in his 






>i 




rt 




£ 


m 


a; 


W 


~ 


Q 


fl 


rn 






,j_) 


H 


C 






H 


43 


J 
£ 


1? 


§ 


-g 




<4-> 


W 


cu 


X 




H 


bjo 




C 


O 




5? 


rt 


1—1 




Q 


>> 






Uh 






C 




o 




X 




-*- 1 




•d 




c 




CU 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 197 

Master's love, and suffered for Him more than martyr- 
dom at the foot of the Cross. He was the youngest of 
the Apostles, and calls himself " the disciple whom 
Jesus loved/ 7 because of the special affection our Lord 
showed him. 

Thomas was a practical man. He had no idea of a 
service of Christ that costs nothing. It was all very 
well to go out preaching and to return to their Master 
saying joyfully they had been working miracles and cast- 
ing out devils in His Name; but if they were really 
His followers they must be ready to follow Him always 
and everywhere, not only when the multitude cried out 
in admiration, " We never saw the like," but when 
the Samaritans refused Him a passage through their 
country and when the rulers persecuted Him. And so 
when the other Apostles tried to dissuade their Mas- 
ter from going into Judea where danger threatened, 
Thomas said boldly : " Let us also go that we may die 
with Him." 

His courage, like Peter's, failed him at the last, but 
his idea of what our Lord had a right to expect of His 
disciples never changed. It accounts in part for his 
obstinate refusal to believe in the Resurrection. AH 
the others, Peter included, told him they had seen their 
risen Lord. He would not believe. He knew better. 
What ! that Christ should raise Himself to life when He 
had been dead three days, and come back to them with 
the old love when they had all failed Him in His hour of 
need — it was impossible. Our Lord had to show Him- 
self to Thomas before he would believe that His rising 
again and coming to comfort His poor, weak disciples 
was not too good to be true. 

Matthew. After his call to the Apostleship we hear 
no more of Matthew in the Gospels. He wrote the first 



198 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

and longest of the Gospels, in which his chief object is 
to show how our Lord fulfilled all that was foretold of 
Him by the Prophets, and that He is therefore the long- 
promised Messiah and Son of God. 

Philip, Bartholomew, Simon and Jude. Of the 
friends Philip and Bartholomew, or Nathaniel, we have 
seen something. Of Simon, the Canaanite, and Jude 
we know little beyond their names. Jude wrote an 
Epistle in which he earnestly exhorts the first faithful 
to stand fast in the faith first delivered to the Saints 
and taught by the Apostles. 

James, the son of Alphaeus, called " the Less," to 
distinguish him from St. James the Great, the son of 
Zebedee, was brother to St. Jude and cousin of our 
Blessed Lord. We hear little of him in the Gospels. 
He was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, and for his holi- 
ness was revered even by the Jews. 

Judas Iscariot comes last in all the lists. Some of 
the Evangelists add to his name " who also betrayed 
Him," terrible words that pass down for the detestation 
of all ages the crime of the miserable disciple who thus 
repaid the love and preference of His Master. Out of 
all men our Lord had chosen Judas to be one of His 
best loved and trusted companions. He had a most 
real and tender love for him. He chose him because 
He loved him. He gave him special graces, and with 
the rest the gift of preaching, of healing the sick, of 
casting out devils. He gave him warning after warn- 
ing. But all in vain. A fault which he might easily 
have conquered in the beginning grew and grew till he 
became its slave. He did not ask the help he needed, 
and when strong temptation came he fell never to rise 
again. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 199 

This was the little company gathered round our 
Blessed Lord — poor, uneducated men, more used to 
employing their hands than their minds, looking like 
the rest of the nation for a golden age of temporal 
prosperity, for the people of God to come with the Mes- 
siah. They lived with their Divine Master as His inti- 
mate friends. They took their simple meals with Him, 
they prayed and slept at His side. After Mary and 
Joseph none knew Him like the Twelve. 

Because they were to help Him in the great work 
of saving souls which brought Him down from Hea- 
ven, and because He saw beneath their rough exte- 
rior grand qualities to be developed, He loved them 
dearly and trained them carefully and patiently. In 
character they were very different, but in their love 
of Him, and in the readiness with which they left all 
they had for His sake, they were alike. When they 
were chosen by Him they were dull and ignorant, un- 
able, to take in the sublime thoughts of their Divine 
Teacher. But little by little His instructions, His ex- 
ample, His gentle influence began to tell, and when 
the Holy Ghost came down upon them at Pentecost they 
were fit for the great work that lay before them — to 
preach the Gospel and to plant the Church. 



XXV. 

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 

One day a vast multitude follows our Blessed Lord 
up a mountain side. They come trooping after Him, 
men, women and children; their homes, their business, 
all the cares of this life by common consent left be- 
hind; no one to blame them, for all are under the 
same spell, all attracted by that Form in white moving 
before them and rising higher and higher up the grassy 
slope. ISTow He has stopped and turned round facing 
them. He waits long and patiently as they come toil- 
ing up, guiding them with His hand to go here and 
there where they may hear Him best. 

It is His first great Sermon that He is going to 
preach, this Sermon on the Mount, and it is not only 
for the numbers beyond all reckoning gathered to- 
gether here, but for all that shall come into this world 
and have to be taught what they must do to save their 
souls. Therefore He would speak so solemnly and from 
such a lofty place. He sits down, and the Twelve come 
and stand around Him, or sit on the ground at His feet. 
The people press round as close as they can, and when 
all are seated and quiet He begins to speak. 

A preacher chooses a text, some sentence which in a 
few words sums up all he has to say. What will the 
text of this great Preacher be? What is the thought 
uppermost in His mind and heart? This — to teach 
us what we must do to be happy. He knows that we 
are made for happiness, and that we long to be happy. 
But He knows, too, that very many try to find happi- 

200 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 201 

ness in things that will not satisfy them, in the riches, 
pleasures, and honours of this world which can never 
content our hearts, because we are made for something 
much greater and better — for God Himself. And so 
He tells us in the beginning of His Sermon on the 
Mount who are really blessed or happy. 

" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 
kingdom of Heaven. 

" Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the 
land. 

" Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be com- 
forted. 

" Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after jus- 
tice, for they shall have their fill. 

" Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy. 

" Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see 
God. 

" Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called 
the children of God. 

" Blessed are they that suffer persecution for jus- 
tice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." 

Blessed the sufferers for whom Heaven is waiting! 
this is the text of the Sermon on the Mount. 

The poor in spirit are those who, having little of the 
good things of this life, are content with what God has 
given them, bear patiently the want of many things 
they would like to have, and do not envy those who are 
better off. Those, too, who having a sufficiency or an 
abundance of the pleasant things of this world, do 
not let their hearts get too fond of them, are ready to 
give them up if God should take them away, and are 
generous in sharing them with those in need. To poor, 



202 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

such as these, our Lord promises all the riches of 
Heaven by and by. 

The meek are those who have gained a mastery over 
anger and revengeful thoughts. They possess as con- 
querors three lands — the land of their own soul, which 
they control as lords and masters, the Land of Heaven, 
where nothing will trouble them any more, and, strange 
to say, that very land in which they seemed to be over- 
come. For in the little difficulties and differences of 
daily life, it is those that yield who are really victors. 
How many conquests has meekness made ! " I can con- 
vince the Calvinists," said a learned man, " but to con- 
vert them I must send them to Francis de Sales," that 
gentle saint who, by the constant study of the Lamb of 
God, had so conquered a passionate nature as to be- 
come a perfect likeness of Jesus, " meek and humble of 
heart." 

The mourners are those who all their lives long have 
a quiet, loving sorrow for their sins — not as though they 
were unforgiven, but just because they are forgiven, be- 
cause they have offended Him who forgives so readily 
and so often. Those, too, are blessed mourners who 
remember when sorrow comes that He who loves them 
only permits it for their good, and that in a very little 
while He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and 
they shall be comforted, " nor mourning, nor crying, 
nor sorrow shall be any more." 

Who hunger and thirst- after justice. The soul, like 
the body, has its hunger and thirst. Our Lord says 
those are blessed who take care to feed it with those 
things which keep it alive in the grace of God, with 
prayer, and instruction, and the Sacraments. Blessed 
are those who hunger after this spiritual food, who are 
always trying to get more and more of God's grace, 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 203 

who go hungry to prayer, hungry to Confession and 
Communion. Almighty God says : " Open thy mouth 
and I will fill it." And our Blessed Lady sings in her 
canticle: " He hath fed the hungry with good things." 
It was because all the saints hungered like this that so 
much was given them. 

The merciful. There is nothing our Lord tells us 
so often and so plainly as this — that to obtain mercy 
from God we must ourselves be merciful. If we wish 
Him to judge us kindly and to forgive our many faults, 
we must be forgiving and kind. " Be merciful," He 
says, " as your Heavenly Father is merciful." He tells 
us that at the Last Day He will say " Come " to those 
who have been merciful to others for His sake, and 
" Depart from Me " to those who have been unmerciful 
to the poor and needy, and therefore to Him. For 
what we do to His least brethren He counts as done 
to Himself. If, then, we want to hear His sweet 
invitation on that dreadful Day, we know how to secure 
it — " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy." 

The clean of heart. The reward and the joy of the 
next life is to see God. There are many joys in Heaven 
— freedom from pain and care, the delights of the glori- 
fied body, the society of the Angels and Saints, reunion 
with those we loved on earth. But all these are as 
nothing compared with the Vision of God. It is this 
that makes Heaven what it is. Without this all the 
rest would not satisfy us. But to see the All Holy God 
we must be holy. In Heaven all are clothed with white 
robes, and the nearer the approach to the Great White 
Throne, the more dazzlingly white is the raiment. We 
must be getting ready to join that spotless throng. 
How ? By taking as much pains to keep our soul free 



204 JESUS OF NAZABETH. 

from stain as we do to prevent soiling our dress when 
we go along a miry road; by shunning with care all 
mortal sin and deliberate venial sin; by being careful 
in our examination of conscience, and often cleansing 
our soul in the Sacrament of Penance, and by frequent 
acts of contrition. If we do this we shall be among the 
clean of heart, and one day we shall see God. 

The peacemakers. " Some there are who are neither 
at peace with themselves nor suffer others to be at peace. 
And some there are who keep themselves in peace and 
study to restore peace to others."* Gladness goes with 
these peacemakers; they turn aside little words and 
jokes that would give pain, and come among us like our 
Blessed Lord whose favourite word of greeting was: 
" Peace be to you." They are so like their Father 
who is in Heaven that they deserve to be called in a 
special way His children. 

The 'persecuted. If our Lord had not told us these 
are blessed, should we ever have guessed it? To be 
persecuted seems such a terrible thing, and so indeed it 
is unless we can bring ourselves to think more of Him 
for whose sake we suffer than of the suffering itself. 
Perhaps we may have known the quiet happiness of 
being by the side of one we loved who was in pain. The 
thought that our presence and our sympathy soothed 
that dear one was greater joy than any pleasure to bo 
found elsewhere. Something like this is the gladness 
those have even now who for our Lord's sake are hated 
and persecuted. They know that the thought of their 
companionship was a consolation to Him when He was 
on earth, and they know, too, that if they are like Him 
in His suffering they will be like Him one day in His 
glory. Are they not blessed then ? 

* Imit. Christ ii. 3. 




WALKING ON THE WATER. 
O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? "—Matt. 14. 31 



JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 207 

And now let us stop awhile to look at our dear Mas- 
ter and His hearers. The Twelve are listening with 
reverent and fixed attention, their eyes riveted on His 
blessed face. They are so proud of Him, so proud to 
be His, so anxious that all should come to know and love 
Him. The people gaze at Him in amazement and de- 
light. It is all so new, so comforting, so different from 
the teaching of the rabbis, the scribes and doctors of 
the Law. They have been taught to hate their enemies, 
to seek revenge, to think that poverty and suffering are 
the signs of God's anger, that an abundance of corn and 
wine and cattle are the rewards for which a good man 
must hope. 

Their beatitudes would have been : " Blessed are 
the rich and the successful, those that laugh and are 
held in honour by men." How unlike these to the 
blessed ones of Jesus of Nazareth! His way to hap- 
piness was a hard way, but they knew as they looked up 
into His face that it was the right way, that He could 
not deceive them. And they felt that He could not only 
teach but help them. Had they known the story of His 
Life as we do they would have seen that He had first 
practised all He taught. He was so poor that He had 
not where to lay His head. He was meek and humble 
of heart, the Man of sorrows, the great Peacemaker, the 
Lloly One who was to be persecuted even unto death. 

After the Sermon our Lord comes down from the 
Mount, conversing familiarly with His disciples, His 
simple congregation flocking after Him, trying to get 
near Him, all so refreshed by His company and His 
words. Hear them talking of Him among themselves, 
saying: " We never heard the like." 

Oh, if we had seen our Blessed Lord as these happy 
people saw Him, if we had followed Him about with the 



208 JESUS OE NAZARETH. 

crowd, had sat at His feet as He taught, and watched 
Him as He laid His hands on the eyes of the blind and 
the sores of the poor lepers — how we should have loved 
Him ! He knew that we should want to hear all about 
Him, and it was to satisfy us that He would have the 
story of His Life written in the holy Gospels. We 
must try as we read His Life to bring the scenes before 
us, to make them real to ourselves, as if it was all going 
on before our very eyes, as if it was all done for us, as 
indeed it was, that we may come to know Him better 
and love Him more. 



XXYI. 



" WHO WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD." 



The Eoman centurion of Capharnaum was in sore 
trouble. A servant very dear to him lay at the point 
of death, every effort to save him had proved unavailing, 
and now his master, as tender by the sickbed as he was 
brave in battle, watched beside him and waited for the 
end. Suddenly it was told in the house that Jesus 
of Nazareth was entering the city. The centurion had 
heard of His deeds of mercy, and hope sprang up in his 
heart. Thinking himself unworthy as a Gentile to ap- 
proach the great Prophet, he sent to Him the ancients of 
the Jews. And when they had come to Jesus they be- 
sought Him earnestly, saying : 

" He is worthy that Thou shouldst do this for him, 
for he loveth our nation and he hath built us a syna- 
gogue." 

And Jesus went with them. And when He was near 
the house the centurion met Him, and, falling on his 
knees before Him, said : 

" Lord, trouble not Thyself, for I am not worthy that 
Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but say the word 
and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man 
subject to authority having under me soldiers; and I 
say to this one: Go, and he goeth, and to another: 
Come, and he cometh, and to my servant : Do this, and 
he doth it." 

As though he had said : " If the word of one who is 
himself a subject meets with prompt obedience, how 
much more will the word of Him who is Almighty be 

209 



210 JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 

obeyed." And Jesus hearing, marvelled, and, turning 
to them that followed Him, said: 

"Amen, I say to you, I have not found so great faith 
in Israel." 

The faith and frankness of this Roman soldier de- 
lighted Him : 

" Go," He said, " and as thou hast believed, so be it 
done to thee." 

And the servant was healed at the same hour. 

We should like to know what became of one whose 
faith won the admiration of the Son of God. This at 
least we know, that the Church sets him before us as a 
model. In the solemn moment when we are receiving 
Jesus Christ into our hearts, she puts upon our lips as 
our most fitting preparation the Domine, non sum 
dignus of the centurion. 

One evening our Lord, attended by the Twelve and 
by the vast crowd that always followed Him now, be- 
gan to climb the hill on which stood the little city of 
JSTain. As He neared the gate a sad procession streamed 
out — first, women weeping and wailing and beating 
their breasts; then, flute players with their mournful 
music; then, a bier on which lay the body of a young 
man wound round and round with linen cloths. A 
great throng of people followed, not only because the 
Jews held it to be a religious duty to accompany the 
dead to the grave, but also because this was " the only 
son of his mother, and she was a widow." Our Lord 
saw her among the hired mourners, and His heart was 
filled with pity. Making His way through the crowd, 
He came to her and said : 

" Weep not." 

She looked up bewildered, and her red eyes met the 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 211 

divine compassion of His. Then He led her to the bier 
and touched it. The bearers stood still and laid their 
burden on the ground. There was a thrill of expecta- 
tion all around. The procession broke up, the crowds 
mingled, and a breathless multitude closed round Him. 
For a moment He stood there looking down on the 
boyish face. Then in a tone of authority that none who 
heard it could ever forget, He said : 

" Young man, I say to thee, arise ! " 

Instantly the eyes opened, the marble cheek flushed, 
and he that was dead sat up and began to speak. His 
mother fell on her knees, and, with tears of joy stream- 
ing down her face, stretched out her arms to her boy. 
A great awe fell upon the people, and for some momenta 
there was silence. " There came a great fear on them 
all," says St. Luke, " and they glorified God." This 
was always the effect of our Lord's wonderful works on 
the simple folk that followed Him — fear because God 
was so near, thanksgiving and praise because God was 
so pitying and so good. 

We notice that it is chiefly the poor who form the 
audience of our Blessed Lord when He preaches. They 
are attracted to Him. He is one of themselves, they 
feel at home with Him. 

But one day there appears in their midst a listener 
whose attire and bearing show nothing of the sim- 
plicity and bashfulness of the poor. Her dress is of 
the richest, her veil thrown back displays the costly 
gems that hang from her ears and gleam on her fore- 
head and in her hair. What can she, with her per- 
fumes and long braided tresses and embroidered sandals, 
be doing here ? Has she come, like a Pharisee, to scoff 

at the Master? Her humble neighbours eye her with 
12 



212 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

curiosity and no little indignation. For this is Mary 
Magdalen, whom all the city knows, and who all the 
city would say is here strangely out of place.. Yet here 
she stands, her gaze riveted on the Speaker yonder. 

An hour ago she was passing this way, and, attracted 
by the crowd, drew near to see Him who had just raised 
'to life the widow's son. And now she stands, swaying 
with the throng, heeding nothing but Him, impatient 
only when some movement in front hides Him from 
her sight. 

His sermon ended, He goes away, and the crowd 
breaks up. Yet, still, she stands there, gazing after 
Him. She had darted forward as if to follow Him, 
but looking down upon her dress came back with a sigh. 
She watches now till He is out of sight, then, drawing 
her veil over her face, hastens home. 

Some hours later Simon, the Pharisee, is dining with 
a party of friends in a room that opens into a court- 
yard. Handsome lamps, couches with rich cushions 
for the head and arms, tables laden with choice wines, 
figs, grapes, pomegranates — all show a wealthy home. 
Near the tables, which form three sides of a square, are 
placed the low couches on which the guests recline, their 
feet stretching back from the tables. 

Among those present is Jesus of Nazareth, whose 
Name since the miracle of Nain is in every mouth. 
Simon has invited Him, but has not thought it neces- 
sary to show Him any further courtesy. He is only 
a carpenter and will not expect it. So no water was 
offered Him for His feet when He came in. There 
was no kiss of welcome from His host, and He took 
His place, not on the couches reserved for " the worth- 
iest/' but with the less distinguished guests. 

The meal is nearly over when one of the rabbis pres- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 213 

ent points with a contemptuous expression of surprise 
to the couch on which Jesus reclines. A woman is 
kneeling there at His feet. Her dress is coarse, her 
long hair streams loosely over her shoulders and face, 
and on the floor beside her stands an alabaster box of 
precious ointment. Her tears are falling fast upon 
His feet, and as they fall she wipes them away with 
her hair. Again and again she stoops and kisses His 
feet. And then she takes the box and breaks it over 
them, and the fragrance of the perfume fills the house. 

Simon is indignant. How dares Mary Magdalen 
enter his house ! And how is it Jesus of Nazareth does 
not drive her away? If He were a prophet He would 
surely know that she is a sinner. 

From His lowly place Jesus looks at Simon and 
says: 

** Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee." 

And he says : " Master, say it." 

"A certain creditor had two debtors, the one owed 
five hundred pence and the other fifty. And as they 
had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. 
Which, therefore, of the two loveth him most? " 

Simon answers in a surly tone : " I suppose he to 
whom he forgave most." 

And Jesus says to him: "Thou hast judged rightly." 

Then, turning to the woman, He says to Simon: 
" Seest thou this woman ? I entered into thy house, 
thou gavest Me no water for My feet, but she with tears 
hath washed My feet, and with her hair hath wiped 
them. Thou gavest Me no kiss, but she since she came 
in hath not ceased to kiss My feet. My head with oil 
thou didst not anoint, but she with ointment hath 
anointed My feet. Wherefore I say to thee many sins 
are forgiven her because she hath loved much. But to 



214 JESUS OP NAZAEETH. 

whom less is forgiven, he loveth less." "And He says 
to her: 

" Thy sins are forgiven thee." 

At once all the company begin to think : " Who is 
this that f orgiveth sins also ? " Jesus takes no notice 
of them, but says to the woman : 

" Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace." 

Not one word had Magdalen spoken, either of sor- 
row for her sins or in self-defence. She let her Lord 
speak for her, she trusted herself to Him. Not by 
words but by her tears, and kiss, and costly gift she 
showed Him her contrition. And she knew from His 
own words that not one of her loving acts had escaped 
Him. He had accepted all. And now she goes away, 
her heart full of peace and joy, teaching us all by her 
example not to be afraid of our merciful Lord when we 
have sinned, but to go to Him like her with our sorrow 
and our love, and like her we shall be forgiven. 

Magdalen never forgot that much had been forgiven 
her. To try to repay her Lord with loving service — 
this was her one aim now. With other holy women 
who had become His disciples, Joanna, wife of Herod's 
steward, Mary of Salome, Mary of Cleophas, and many 
others, she followed Him about and provided for His 
wants. For we must remember that from the time 
He left Nazareth He had no home, and with His twelve 
Apostles depended on the charity of those who believed 
in Him and loved Him. " The foxes have holes and 
the birds of the air nests," He said, " but the Son of 
Man hath not where to lay His head." These holy 
women were devoted to Him, faithful and brave when 
even Apostles wavered, but bravest and most faithful 
of all was Mary Magdalen. 







r 


m 




|S 




; 


m 


W*'i 








^ 






;■';' ■':..'■.. ■ .■ ■ 


) ||y' 



£^ 

bo . 

C . 
• - rt 

£ I 



d O 

*°~ ^ 

<V >> 

en C 

en C 

3.2 



en 



w 

H 

CO 

< 



CD ^J 

£ 3 



ft 

a, •• 
^-T3 



j; ft 



£ 3 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 



217 



Where His Blessed Mother lived during the three 
years of the Public Life we are not told: some think 
she remained at Xazareth, others that she settled with 
her relatives at Capharnaum. Twice we find her 
mentioned in the Gospel. Jesus was speaking one day 
to the multitude when a man in the crowd said to Him : 

" Behold Thy Mother and Thy brethren stand with- 
out seeking to speak to Thee." 

Our Lord would not interrupt His teaching, and 
again taught the lesson given long years ago in the 
Temple, that before any call of affection, however holy, 
however tender, must come His Father's business. An- 
swering him that told Him, He said : 

" Who is My Mother and who are My brethren ? " 

And stretching forth His hand towards His disciples 
He said : 

" Behold My Mother and My brethren. For whoso- 
ever shall do the Will of My Father that is in Heaven, 
the same is My brother and sister and Mother. v 

Again, when a woman in the crowd, filled with ad- 
miration for the Son, had broken out into words of 
blessing on the Mother, Jesus said : 

" Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word 
of God and keep it." 

He did not mean that as Mother of God Mary is not 
blessed among women, but that she is more blessed for 
hearing His words and doing His will, for that habit of 
pondering in her heart of which St. Luke tells us twice 
in the same chapter. 

" Hail, full of grace ! " said Gabriel first. And then 
— ' l Blessed art thou among women." 



XXVII. 



Preaching was the chief occupation of our Blessed 
Lord during His Public Life. He was always teach- 
ing, now on the seashore, now from a boat on the lake, 
on country roads, in houses, in the synagogues. And 
everywhere He was surrounded by huge crowds of men 
and women, boys and girls, fathers holding their chil- 
dren high to see and hear, mothers with their little 
brown babies in their arms, old folk bent and tottering, 
scarce able to keep their footing amidst the thousands 
that stood about Him, crowding and crushing " so that 
they trod upon one another," says St. Luke. 

St. Mark tells us that " they ran nocking to Him 
from all the cities. And Jesus going out saw a great 
multitude, and He had compassion on them because 
they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and He began 
to teach them many things." The teaching and the 
Teacher were so delightful that the hearers never tired ; 
fathers of families who had the daily bread to earn, 
mothers with their household cares upon them, little 
restless children, stood or sat about Him, silent, spell- 
bound. There was a majesty and a grace in His look, 
and words, and gestures that held them captive. 

He taught as a Master, with an authority none could 
gainsay, and when He prefaced His words with that 
solemn: "Amen, amen, I say unto you," there was 
not a wandering eye nor an inattentive ear in the crowd. 

All could understand Him. He did not preach dry 
sermons like the Scribes and Pharisees, who made the 
Law harder by explaining it. He taught by parables, 

218 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 219 

stories with a hidden meaning that the people were to 
find out. By the things they saw around them every 
day He explained truths which they could not see. 

" Be not solicitous/' that is, over anxious, " what you 
shall eat or what you shall put on," He said to them 
one day. " Consider the ravens, for they sow not, 
neither do they reap, neither have they storehouse nor 
barn, and God feedeth them. How much more valuable 
are you than they." And pointing to the lilies be- 
spangling the fields all round, He went on: " Con- 
sider the lilies how they grow ; they labour not, neither 
do they spin. But I say to you, not even Solomon in 
all his glory was clothed like one of these." 

The sparrows, innumerable in Palestine, were hop- 
ping about in His path. 

"Are not Hve sparrows," He said, " sold for two 
farthings ? and not one of them is forgotten before God. 
Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows." 
Then, looking round on the fathers who with their little 
ones were standing by, He said: 

" What father is there here who when his child asks 
for bread will give him a stone, or for a fish will give 
him a serpent? If you then being evil know how to 
give good gifts to your children, how much more will 
your Father from Heaven give good things to them that 
ask Him." 

When He spoke of a net filled with all kinds of fish 
and of the sorting on the seashore, the rough men of 
the Lake gave an approving nod, and understood that 
while the world lasts, good and bad men will be together, 
and that at the end of the world there will be a great 
separation, the good will be taken to Heaven and the 
bad cast away. 

He said that a woman who has lost a little coin lights 



220 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

a candle and sweeps the house and seeks diligently till 
she finds it. The wives and mothers looked at one an- 
other and smiled, and understood what He wanted to 
show them — the value of the soul, stamped with the 
image of the King of kings, who has taken such pains to 
find it when it was lost. 

The farmers and the labourers liked the parables 
which told of men being hired to work all day and being 
paid when evening comes ; and about the seed that was 
sown on different kinds of soil, and was wasted in one 
place whilst in another it sprang up and yielded good 
fruit ; about the fig-tree, too, which its master had taken 
every care to cultivate and which never made him any 
return, so that at last he ordered it to be cut down and 
destroyed. And all, even the little children, understood 
the parable of the cruel rich man who when his life 
of feasting and pleasure was over was punished in ter- 
rible torments, whilst Lazarus, the patient beggar at his 
gate, who had been refused even the crumbs that fell 
from his table, was comforted. 

Jewish children, like all others, loved to play at being 
grown up, and to have weddings and funerals. Our 
Lord had Himself played at these things with His little 
companions at Nazareth. When He spoke about their 
games in His preaching, the children in the crowd were 
delighted to see He knew all about them and could make 
parables of them. 

One day He told the people a parable to show them 
how foolish it is to think only of this life which is going 
so fast, and not to be getting ready for that life which 
is to last for ever. 

There was a certain rich man who had so much corn 
that his barns were full to overflowing. " What shall I 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 221 

do ? " he said to himself, " for I have no more room to 
store my corn. This will I do. I will pull down my 
barns and build greater, and I will gather therein all 
that I have. And I will say to my soul : Soul, thou hast 
much goods laid up for many years ; take thy rest, eat, 
drink, make good cheer." But God said to him: 
" Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee, 
and whose shall those things be which thou hast pro- 
vided?" 

The little ones in the crowd were listening attentively, 
and could see quite well why this man was called a 
fool. For who but a fool would speak to his soul like 
that, or think that barns full of corn could satisfy the 
soul that is made for God and for Heaven ! What use 
were the man's riches to him when he came to die, and 
" what would it profit a man," as our Lord asked, " if 
he were to gain the whole world and lose his own soul % " 

Those words, " lose his soul," are very terrible. 
Sometimes our Blessed Lord spoke to the people about 
terrifying things, as a father or mother will frighten a 
child of the fire lest it should go too near and fall in. 
He told even His dear disciples to fear that fire which is 
never put out, which will burn body and soul for ever. 
He spoke in terrible words of that " place of torments " 
to make us all fear sin, which alone can take us there. 
He said that as we part with eye, or hand, or foot to 
preserve our life, so must we give up anything, however 
useful or pleasant, rather than let it lead us into sin. 
And, as He spoke, the crowd could see by His face and 
by the tone of His voice that He knew all about that 
dreadful place and wanted to save them from going 
there. 

He told them they must be like servants in charge of 



222 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

a house who have to be watching, ready to open to 
their lord whenever he knocks, either at midnight, or at 
cockcrowing, or in the morning. They knew what He 
meant. The house which belongs to the lord is our 
soul. And we are in charge. He calls us to Him by 
death when we least expect it. We must keep our soul 
always in the state of grace and ready for Him. This 
is to be found watching. The people delighted in find- 
ing out our Lord's meaning as He went on, and some- 
times their admiration broke out in joyous exclama- 
tions : 

" This is the Prophet indeed ! This is the Christ ! " 
Because their hearts were simple and upright they 
understood the Divine Teacher better by far than the 
Scribes and Pharisees who were eaten up by pride and 
envy. Some of these were generally found among 
His hearers, not to learn of Him — they would have 
scorned to do that — but " to lie in wait for Him/' says 
St. Luke, " seeking to catch something from His mouth 
that they might accuse Him." 

One day they sent officers to seize Him. Provided 
with cords to bind Him and lead Him away prisoner, 
these men joined the listening crowd. But when they 
beheld the majesty of His countenance and heard His 
wondrous words, they stood as if transfixed, not daring 
so much as to think of laying a finger on Him. Until 
He ceased to speak they stood there with the crowd, 
still, reverent, charmed. Then they returned to give 
an account of themselves. 

" Why have you not brought Him ? " said their angry 
masters. 

" Never man spake like this Man," was the answer. 



XXVIII. 

! " 

When we try to picture to ourselves our Blessed 
Lord in the midst of the poor of Palestine, we must 
bear in mind that a crowd of poor, such as we are ac- 
customed to, is respectable compared with an Eastern 
crowd. Dirty, ragged, and afflicted beyond anything 
we can imagine, were those among whom His days were 
spent. They " thronged Him, pressing upon Him to 
touch Him as many as were diseased. They stayed 
Him that He should not depart from them." They 
poured into the house where He was, " so that He 
could not so much as eat bread," says St. Mark. Think 
what this means. 

Everything in our Lord was most delicate and re- 
fined. He was more sensitive than any of us to what 
is unsightly and unpleasant. Yet He never com- 
plained, or seemed to notice what must have distressed 
Him sorely. He bore with these poor people. He let 
them press upon Him and touch Him. How often He 
was weary of standing and speaking, of going here and 
there as He was wanted, of satisfying the endless needs 
of such a multitude! Eor they could never have 
enough of Him. Used to seeing themselves objects of 
contempt and disgust to the Pharisees, they beheld with 
wonder and delight the gentleness and tender compas- 
sion of their new Rabbi, and in His company forgot 
everything else, even consideration for Him. 

It was not often that He sought to escape from the 
223 



224 JESUS OF NAZARETH, 

people. But one evening as they showed no signs of re- 
turning home for the night, He said in a low voice to 
His disciples : " Let us go over to the other side of the 
Lake." 

They were only too glad to obey, for He was quite 
spent, and this was the only way to get Him a little 
rest. So a few of them hurried Him down to the 
beach, and when the others who had stopped behind to 
dismiss the crowd joined them, they all got into the 
boat and pushed off. He seated Himself in the stern, 
resting His head on a rough pillow there, the steers- 
man's cushion, and very soon was asleep. The dis- 
ciples watched Him in silence or talked quietly among 
themselves about the parables which, in the intervals of 
that long day's preaching, He had explained to them 
apart. They did not like to come out with their diffi- 
culties before the people, but when alone with their 
Master they put their questions to Him, and He was 
so careful to explain all, that He used to ask them: 
" Have you understood all these things ? " 

He was asleep, and, as the boat glided smoothly over 
the still, moon-lit waters, they sat around Him, speak- 
ing little, content to gaze upon that calm, beautiful face, 
so tired and yet so restful. They were half way across 
the Lake, some dozing, some talking round the pilot, 
when a shriek of the night wind made them all start. 

In a few minutes a furious tempest was upon them. 
Down between the mountains swept the hurricane, lash- 
ing the water into wild, crested billows. Helpless on 
the heaving sea, the boat rose and fell, now sinking into 
the hollow, now mounting a monstrous wave, now plung- 
ing again into the depths. The water poured in, it was 
filling fast — and still He slept. For a while the dis- 
ciples dared not wake Him, but fear overcoming at 







HB' ;|jiiM! 


X, 


■ : ':.'•■: '-". '". ; V: - : ^''' ;;: ' ; - : ^. : 


'3 1 






' Hi E' 


.;, . 







BLESSING LITTLE CHILDREN. 

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them 
not ; for of such is the kingdom of God." — Mark 10. 14. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 227 

length every other feeling they crowded round Him cry- 
ing: 

" Lord, save us, we perish ! " 

He woke, and looked calmly into those terrified faces. 

" Why are you fearful," He said, " O ye of little 
faith!" 

And rising up He rebuked the wind, and said to the 
sea: 

" Peace, be still!" 

And the wind ceased, and there was made a great 
calm. And they feared exceedingly. They did not 
fall at their Master's feet pouring out their thanks in 
eager words. But they crouched before Him, whisper- 
ing in trembling tones to one another : 

"Who is this, that He commands the wind and the 
sea and they obey Him ? " 

To these men of the Lake the first feeling brought by 
this sudden stilling of the storm was one of overpower- 
ing fear. Who was it they had amongst them, that 
treated them as familiar friends, that ate, and drank, 
and slept in their midst ? Who was it ? — God, the Lord 
of the wind and sea. Jesus their Master, their Friend, 
was very God — and they feared exceedingly. 

Smoothly over the placid waters the boat made the 
rest of its way. It was early morning when they ran 
it into a little bay on the eastern shore of the Lake, the 
land of Gadara, or Gergesa. The disciples were step- 
ping on shore, scarcely recovered from the terrors of the 
night, when a new fear seized them. 

Bounding down from one of the caves hollowed in 
the cliff came a wild creature, more like a beast than a 
man. His eyes glared in a frightful manner. He had 
long since torn to shreds the clothing that hung about 



228 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

him. He lived in the gloomy caverns in the rocks 
that were used as graves, and " he was exceeding fierce, 
so that no man could pass that way." No man could 
tame him; iron chains he snapped like flax. Day and 
night he roamed about the mountains, crying and cut- 
ting himself with stones. He was a demoniac. 

Seeing Jesus afar off, he ran to Him, and, falling 
down, adored Him. And, crying out with a loud voice, 
he said: 

" What have I to do with Thee, Jesus Son of the 
most High God ? I beseech Thee do not torment me." 

And Jesus asked him : " What is thy name % " 

"And he said, " Legion." 

" For many devils were entered into him," says St. 
Luke. And the spirits besought Him that He would 
not command them to go into the abyss. And there 
was there near the mountain a great herd of swine 
feeding, in number about two thousand. And the 
devils said : 

" If Thou cast us out, send us into the swine." 

And He said to them: " Go ! " 

And they going out went into the swine, and the 
whole herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea 
and were stifled in the waters. And the men in charge 
of them fled into the city and told the news — how the 
fierce demoniac, the terror of the country, had been 
healed, and how the swine had perished. Strange to 
say, it was the last event that seemed to make the most 
impression on the townsfolk, for instead of rejoicing 
at the cure of the poor man, " they were taken with 
great fear. And the whole city went out to see what 
was done. And they came to Jesus, and saw him that 
had been troubled with the devils sitting at His feet, 
clothed and well in his wits." 



JESUS OF NAZARETH, 229 

And — poor, foolish people — all the multitude being 
seized with terror, besought Jesus to depart from them. 
And He went up again into the ship. The man who 
had been troubled with the devils begged earnestly that 
he might be with Him. It seemed to him that only in 
our Lord's presence could he be safe and happy. But 
Jesus told him that he had a work for him to do among 
his countrymen: 

" Return to thy house/' He said, " and tell how great 
things God hath done to thee." 

And he went through the whole city publishing the 
great things Jesus had done for him. 

On reaching the western side of the Lake, they saw 
the shore thronged with people. Here at least our Lord 
was welcome. " The multitude received Him gladly, 
for they were all waiting for Him." He came among 
them and was surrounded at once by petitioners of 
every kind. 

Presently the crowd made way with pitying words for 
a man whose face was sad and troubled. He was 
Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue. He had a little 
daughter, his only one, about twelve years old, and she 
was dying, and he had come to see if our Lord would go 
home with him and cure her. 

The poor father fell down at the feet of Jesus, and 
his voice was broken by sobs : 

" My daughter is at the point of death, but come, lay 
Thy hand upon her that she may be safe and may live." 

Our Lord went with him, accompanied by the multi- 
tude, curious to see what would happen. They went 
fast, for the father knew every moment was precious. 
But as they neared the house one of the servants came 
up to Jairus and his face told his tale: 



230 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

" Thy daughter is dead," he whispered, " trouble 
not the Master farther." 

But Jesus hearing said kindly: " Fear not, believe' 
only and she shall be safe." 

It was a dismal scene around the house. The rela- 
tives, musicians and hired mourners had already ar- 
rived in preparation for the burial that would take place 
before night. From the room where the child lay came 
sounds of wailing mingled with the doleful music of the 
flute. Our Lord went in, and, finding the minstrels 
and the mourners making a rout, He said: 

" Give place, for the girl is not dead but sleepeth." 

And they laughed Him to scorn, " knowing that 
she was dead," says St. Luke. He put all out of the 
room except Peter, James and John and the father and 
mother of the child. There, on a low pallet, she lay, 
white and still, her little hands joined upon her breast, 
fragrant spices strewed about her. Jesus took one of 
the small, chill hands in His, and in tones low and 
tender as her mother's, when she waked her from 
sleep, said: 

" Talitha cumi! " — Little maid, arise. 

And her eyes opened, and, when she saw Him she 
smiled. And she rose up and began to walk about be- 
fore them all ; father and mother, beside themselves 
with joy, watching her in silence. Then our Lord 
told them to give her something to eat. And, leaving 
the happy three together, He went out with His disci- 
ples. 

Think how miracles, following fast upon one another 
like this, must have strengthened the faith of the 
Twelve. Within a few hours they had seen the wind 
and the sea, the devils, and death itself obey Him whom 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 23l 

they called " Master." And along with their faith 
grew their admiration and veneration, their love and 
their trust. For He whose word nothing could resist 
lived among them as one of themselves. When they 
journeyed together, exposed to cold, rain, and sun, when 
they stopped by the wayside to take their scanty meal, 
He fared no better than the rest. Humble and kind, 
ready to answer all their difficulties and to defend them 
against their enemies, patient with their slowness and 
their mistakes, watchful to see that nothing should hurt 
them, and to provide for all their wants — such was the 
Master to whom they had given themselves. 

He did not spoil them. He corrected their faults 
and let them share the hardships of His Life, for they 
were to carry on His work amidst all kinds of suffer- 
ings when He was gone, and they had to be trained for 
this. But He would not let things be too hard for 
them. St. Peter, it is said, used to tell how, when they 
spent the night with Him on the mountain side, sleep- 
ing around Him whilst He prayed, He would rise from 
His prayer and go amongst them, and if the night was 
chill and He found any of them slightly covered, He 
would wrap them up better against the cold. 

Is it wonderful that these poor, rough men loved Him 
as they did? 

When He told them one day that He was going to 
send them out to preach, they were not frightened, for 
they knew that with His help they could do all things. 
They were to spread the good tidings that the Kingdom 
of Heaven was at hand. They were to go without 
money or provision for their journey, but with the 
wonderful powers He would give them : 

" Heal the sick," He said, " raise the dead, cleanse 
13 



232 JESUS OF tfAZABETH. 

the lepers, cast out devils: freely have you received, 
freely give." 

And they went two and two through the towns, 
preaching the Gospel and healing everywhere. 

It was at this time that St. John the Baptist's won- 
derful life came to a close. For twelve months he had 
been imprisoned in the gloomy fortress of Machaerus 
for declaring the king's marriage with Herodias, his 
brother's wife, to be unlawful. It was a terrible place 
that underground dungeon for one who had lived all 
his life in the free air of heaven. And there was other 
pain as well. 

His life had been spent in making ready the road for 
our Blessed Lord. And now he was left alone in his 
prison, seemingly abandoned. Our Lord did not go to 
see him and did nothing for him. But he never com- 
plained, his patience was not exhausted, his faith re- 
mained unshaken. He did not want to be released, 
but only to do God's Will, and to carry on as long as he 
could the work for which he was sent. Even in prison 
he went on preparing his Master's way. For, finding 
that some of his disciples who were allowed to visit 
him did not yet believe in Jesus, he sent them to Him 
with this question: 

"Art Thou He that art to come or look we for 
another ? " 

He knew quite well that Jesus was the Messiah, but 
he wanted his disciples to know and follow Him. He 
must have been aware that his own death could not be 
far off. Herodias would never rest till she had got 
rid of him, and he wanted his faithful followers to be 
safe among our Lord's disciples before the end came. 
Jesus, who knew St. John's motives in asking this ques- 



JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 233 

tion, answered, not by words but by deeds. As the 
messengers stood around Him, He cured many sick, and 
to many that were blind He gave sight : 

" Go," He said, " and relate to John what you have 
heard and seen." 

And they went away believing in Him. 

Meanwhile the wicked Herodias, who could not feel 
safe so long as John lived, was casting about for some 
means of bringing about his death. Herod's birthday 
brought her chance. The king kept the day with the 
utmost magnificence, and in the evening made a great 
supper for the chief men of his kingdom. The castle 
palace of Machaerus was brilliantly lighted up, and the 
sound of music mingled with the shouts of the revellers 
penetrated even into the dungeon where the holy Bap- 
tist lay. 

When the merriment in the banqueting hall was at 
its height, Salome, the daughter of Herodias, came in 
to amuse the guests. She danced before them and was 
loudly applauded by all who sat at table. Then Herod, 
half intoxicated, and scarcely knowing what he was say- 
ing, swore to her: 

" Whatsoever thou shalt ask I will give thee, though 
it be the half of my kingdom." 

The girl, delighted, slipped out of the hall and said 
to her mother : 

"What shall I ask?" 

" The head of John the Baptist," was the answer. 

Salome returned with haste to the king: 

" I will," she said, " that thou forthwith give me in 
a dish the head of John the Baptist." 

What a demand from the lips of one little more than 
a child! All who heard it shuddered. But what 



234 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

would the king do? Every eye was turned upon him. 
Every eye saw upon his face the signs of the struggle 
going on within. He was struck sad, for he reverenced 
John and had often heard him gladly. Yet because of 
his oath — an oath wicked to make, more wicked still to 
keep — and to appear honourable in the sight of those 
who sat at table with him, he granted the horrid petition. 
One of his bodyguard was standing behind him with a 
naked sword in his hand. He was despatched to the 
prison with orders to bring the head into the hall. 

There was silence now in that scene of revelry, and 
suspense, horrible but short. Presently the door re- 
opened, and the gory head was brought in upon a dish. 
Then, in the sight of all, the king gave it to the un- 
flinching girl, who bore it off in triumph to her mother. 

When the disciples of John heard what had befallen 
their beloved master, they took the body and buried it, 
" and came and told Jesus," says St. Matthew. 

The royal murderer never had another peaceful hour. 
That ghastly sight in the banqueting hall was constantly 
before his mind. When he heard of the wonderful 
works of Jesus, he cried out : " John the Baptist is 
risen from the dead," and he wanted to see our Lord. 
He did see Him one day, and on that day the measure 
of his wickedness was filled up. 



...... • : 


AS 

;»-« fe^fflP-P 

.. ■ ■ .■.. ■.:.,::. 




^ 


■ W^d m 




11 ' 




: : . . .:." ',' 


/-*;■ iif 


! 


^S-^Z ' 


: - : - : 


^' ,,:.,* 


.;:-'v 


"*"!::!" 


:: ■ ■■■ , 


Pf^'%?! 


ir 






I 

* 


if" 

lif-li' 


«. . . 


warn 


* 


i 






be 



o 

o 

w ^ 
3 £ 

* : 

+■» 

C 



X 



XXIX. 



A HOLIDAY. 



On their return from their little mission, the Twelve 
told our Lord all things that they had done and taught. 

" Come aside into a desert place and rest a little," He 
said, for they were tired. 

It was a welcome invitation. The Lake, which they 
must cross to reach the desert place, was about the only 
spot where they could have Him all to themselves, and 
they had much to tell Him. So they were soon on their 
way. Look at them all in the boat with Him, bending 
forward on their oars to catch all He says ; speaking to 
Him, first one, then another; telling Him of their suc- 
cess or failure. See how kindly He looks at them as 
they speak, how interested He is in all they say. 

But look ! One of them points to the shore. A great 
crowd is moving slowly round the head of the Lake. 
The people see the boat is steering for Bethsaida Julius 
on the eastern side, and are following it on foot along 
the beach. They will be there first, many of them, for 
it is only a couple of hours' walk from Capharnaum. 
The Apostles grumble. The multitude never leaves Him 
alone, and they had come out for rest. But their Master 
tells them His disciples must not be selfish. These poor 
people need Him badly; the sick are being carried all 
that way, and there are many sad hearts in the crowd. 
They are ashamed of themselves now as they look at 
Him, more tired a great deal than they are, yet so kind, 
so thoughtful for others, so self -forgetting. There is no 
The boat is run into a little creek, 
237 



238 JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 

and they get out and follow Him up a mountain side. 
He sits down, and they seat themselves in a circle oil 
the ground at His feet and listen to Him. 

They will not have Him long to themselves, the 
people are coming up in thousands — men, women and 
children " nocking after Him from all the cities." He 
watches them from this height and has compassion on 
them, for they are like sheep without a shepherd. Now 
He goes down to them and is surrounded at once. 

All day He is among them, teaching, healing, com- 
forting. See Him going in and out of the crowd, asking 
for the sick, laying His hands on them, seeking out 
those in sorrow and getting them to tell Him their 
troubles. He has such a tender way of listening. His 
kind eyes look so interested as the poor and the sick tell 
their sad tales. And they know by His questions that 
He really cares to hear and wants to help. 

What a happy multitude it is around Him all day! 
The newly cured exulting in the use of eyes and ears 
and healthy limbs; their friends taking them about, 
showing them off before the astonished neighbours who 
had helped to bring them in the morning; the children 
following our Lord about like a bodyguard, crowding 
round to watch Him as He heals, so eager, so intent, 
especially when the blind and the maimed are brought 
to Him. They love to see the dull, vacant eyes fill 
with brightness and fix themselves with adoring love 
and thankfulness on Him who gives them light and 
sight, and the crippled and the palsied come from under 
those mighty hands straight and strong. They are His 
heralds, as well as His guards, these joyous children, 
for at every fresh cure their shouts and their cheering 
go out over the crowd and tell where He is. Yes, it 
has been a happy time; how many hearts have been 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 239 

lightened to-day for having poured their heaviness into 
His! 

But evening is drawing on and the Apostles think 
it is time to see about food and rest. The crowds have 
lost count of time, of distance from home, of every- 
thing but Jesus. But they cannot stay here for ever. 
They have had nothing to eat and will have a good 
two hours' walk before they can find shelter for the 
night. So the Twelve come to Jesus and say : 

" This is a desert place and the hour is now past. 
Send them away, that going into the next villages and 
towns they may buy themselves meat to eat." 

Jesus says to them : " They have no need to go, give 
you them to eat." 

It was like Him to say that, but how can they provide 
for such a multitude ? 

" Let us go and buy bread for two hundred pence," 
they say, " and we will give them to eat." 

" How many loaves have you ? He asks. " Go and 
see." 

Andrew says to Him : " There is a boy here who has 
&ve barley loaves and two fishes, but what are these 
among so many ? " 

Jesus answers : " Bring them hither to Me." 

See the boy being led by St. Andrew to our Lord; 
the pride and pleasure of the little fellow as he gives 
Him his loaves and his fishes; our Lord thanking him 
for them. 

A great miracle is going to be wrought, the type of 
another still greater. It is a solemn moment, and our 
Lord will have all in order. 

" Make the men sit down," He says to the Twelve. 

They sit down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties, 
looking in their bright, many-coloured garments on the 



240 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

green grass like flowerbeds on the turf. And the eyes 
of all are on the hillock where Jesus stands, the twelve 
Apostles round Him. 

He takes the loaves, and, looking up to Heaven, with 
indescribable majesty, blesses and breaks them, and 
gives them to the Apostles to be set before the people. 
And the two fishes He divides among them all. Up 
and down among the ranks go the Twelve, giving into 
the eager hands on every side, hearing such cries of 
wonderment, getting such grateful thanks. Our Lord 
watches all from His little height, directing the distri- 
bution with His hand — an old couple here have been 
missed ; those children over there are ready for more. 

When all have had enough, He says to the Apostles: 

" Gather up the fragments that remain lest they be 
lost." 

And they fill twelve baskets with what is left after 
that multitude is satisfied — five thousand hungry men, 
besides women and children. Our Lord and the dis- 
ciples take some of the fragments for their own meal. 
Whilst they are eating, a great cry is heard and taken 
up by the whole multitude: 

" This is the Christ ! This is of a truth the Prophet 
that is to come into the world! Hosanna to the King 
of Israel!" 

The Apostles are delighted. The long-expected 
Kingdom is coming at last! And they join in the 
joyful shout. But their rejoicing is short. Their Mas- 
ter tells them to go home now across the Lake whilst He 
stays behind to dismiss the crowd. What a woeful dis- 
appointment! Their faces show their dismay. It is 
such a pity to go just now when the people are in such 
good dispositions. May not some of them stay — Peter 
and James and John — to help Him with the crowd? 



JESUS OF NAZABETH. 241 

No, they must all go. Very reluctantly they obey, all 
the more so as there is a storm-cloud gathering and the 
wind is rising. They have not forgotten that storm 
when they came from Gadara. However, there is no 
help for it, so they get into the boat and push off. 

Waving their arms and shouting, the people come 
round our Lord. He must be their King, and they will 
fight for Him and die for Him if need be. But He tells 
them He does not want to be an earthly King, and they 
must be quiet and go back to their homes and think of 
all He has taught them. There is no resisting the 
gentle gravity and authority with which He speaks ; the 
cries die down, and before long they are all on their 
way home, a joyful, peaceful army, but the King and 
Leader left behind. 

Where ? 

When the crowds have all gone, He goes with weary 
feet up the mountain side again — to pray. Before 
choosing His Apostles He spent the night in prayer. 
And now, on this night, before the great Promise He 
is to make on the morrow, He prays. This is His cus- 
tom always. He teaches, heals, comforts, makes Him- 
self all to all. And then He seeks a quiet time and 
place for prayer, to teach us that however busy our lives 
may be, however full of work for others, we must keep 
time for being alone with God in prayer. We notice 
when and where He prays, and find another lesson for 
ourselves. We cannot indeed pray at night under the 
quiet stars on a still mountain side ; but as far' as possi- 
ble we should choose an hour and a spot where we shall 
not be distracted, and where we shall not distract our- 
selves. 

As He prayed the wind rose higher and higher, and 
at length the storm broke in all its fury upon the Lake. 



242 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Woe to the fishing craft out that night ! Peter's boat in 
the midst of the sea was tossed about and could not 
make head against the violence of the wind and waves. 
In vain did its crew furl the sail and bale out the water 
and row their best. It was plain to them that they 
would never see land. Oh, why had the Master sent 
them away from Him ! It was foolish to be frightened 
the other day with Him in the boat, but now they were 
alone and He had forgotten them. St. John, who was 
there, wrote long after of that dreadful night : " It 
was now dark and Jesus was not come unto them." 

They were clinging to the sides of the boat as the sea 
rose and fell, when, suddenly — a Form was seen in the 
distance, a human Form, and It was coming towards 
them. Seamen are very superstitious, easily frightened 
by what they take to be spectres, or evil omens. But 
here was no imagination. It was plainly a Man and 
He was walking on the sea. 

" It is an apparition ! " they said, and they cried out 
for fear. For they all saw Him and were troubled. 
And immediately He spoke with them across the waves, 
saying : 

" Be of good heart; it is I, fear ye not." 

Oh, what a change, what joy and peace and comfort 
came to them with those words : " It is I ! " A few 
moments and He would be with them. But Peter could 
not wait. His Master was there ; he must go to Him at 
once. 

" Lord," he cried, " if it be Thou, bid me come to 
Thee upon the waters." 

And Jesus said : " Come ! " 

In an instant Peter's foot was over the side of the 
boat and down on the waves that grew firm beneath his 
tread. Up and down he walked on the heaving sea,- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 243 

his eyes fixed on Jesus, the Eleven leaning over the 
side of the boat watching him in breathless silence. 
He is only a few steps from our Lord when a tremen- 
dous wave almost overthrows him. He looks round, 
loses sight of Jesus, gets afraid and begins to sink. 

" Lord, save me ! " he cries, and flings out his arms 
towards his Master. 

And Jesus immediately stretching out His hand takes 
hold of him and says : 

"■ O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt 1 " 

And Peter, clinging to Jesus, comes safe to the boat, 
and as soon as they are inside the wind ceases. The 
disciples come up and fall at our Lord's feet and adore 
Him, saying: 

" Indeed, Thou art the Son of God ! " 

And He works yet another miracle, " for presently 
the ship was at the land to which they were going." 



XXX. 

" WILL YOU ALSO GO AWAY ? " 

That land was Capharnaum. 

We can scarcely picture to ourselves the excitement 
and enthusiasm which greeted our Lord when His boat 
drew up on the strand. Whilst the Apostles had been 
battling with the storm on the Lake, the people had gone 
round along the beach and got home before nightfall. 
The wonderful news they had brought of their day in 
the desert — the teaching and the healing and the even- 
ing feast — was now the talk of the city. Everyone 
wanted to see the mighty Wonderworker, and the crowd 
on the shore was so great that our Lord and His dis- 
ciples with difficulty made a passage through. He did 
not stop to speak there, but led the way to the syna- 
gogue of the good centurion. His words on this day 
were to be more solemn than any He had yet spoken, 
and the synagogue was the fittest place wherein to speak. 
The ruler Jairus would be there, so pleased to receive 
Him and show Him honour, and no doubt the little 
daughter, too, and her mother. 

The lintel above the door of the synagogue — which 
has been found lying among the ruins — had carved on it 
a pot of manna with vine leaves and clusters of grapes. 
As He passed beneath, our Lord will have looked up 
and thought how fitly it was there that day. For He 
was going to speak for the first time of that Gift of gifts 
to us, His own Real Presence in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment under the appearances of bread and wine. 

The Church calls this Sacrament an abridgment of 
all God's wonderful works. Everything about it is 

244 




SEEKING OUR HEARTS. 
" Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock." — Rev. 3. 20. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 247 

so marvellous that men had to be prepared for it by 
other marvels and by types. There was the manna in 
the wilderness, the food of their fathers on their way 
to the Promised Land. There was Melchisedech's sac- 
rifice of bread and wine. There was the food of 
Eli as given to strengthen him in his flight from his 
enemies. There was the changing of water into wine 
at the marriage feast of Cana. And there was that 
miraculous multiplication of bread in the desert the 
day before, of which all minds were full. 

The congregation crowded, into the synagogue till it 
was a closely packed mass of heads. The Twelve took 
up their position near their Master. Our Lord 
mounted the platform, or bima, and sat down. All 
eyes were fixed upon Him. Looking around with His 
heart-searching gaze, He said : 

"Amen, amen, I say to you, you seek Me because you 
did eat of the loaves. Labour not for the meat which 
perisheth, but for that which endureth unto life ever- 
lasting, which the Son of Man will give you." 

Some from the crowd called out: 

" What sign dost Thou show that we may see and 
may believe ? What dost Thou work \ " 

And this after the miracle of yesterday ! 

" Our fathers did eat manna in the desert," they 
went on, " as it is written : ' He gave them bread from 
Heaven to eat.' " 

Jesus said to them: "Amen, amen, I say to you: 
Moses gave you not bread from Heaven, but My Father 
giveth you the true Bread from Heaven. Tor the bread 
of God is that which cometh down from Heaven and 
giveth life to the world." 

They said to Him : " Lord, give us always this 
bread." 



248 JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 

Jesus said to them : "I am the Bread of life ; he 
that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that be- 
lie veth in Me shall never thirst." 

Wayward and fretful, they murmured at Him now 
because He said: "I am the Living Bread which 
came down from Heaven." And they said to one 
another : 

" Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father 
and mother we know ? How then saith He : ' I came 
down from Heaven ? ? " 

Jesus answered and said to them : " Murmur not 
among yourselves. . . I am the Bread of Life. If 
any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever, and 
the Bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the 
world." 

The discontent and murmuring increased. It was a 
repetition of the scene in the synagogue at ISTazareth, 
the same enthusiastic reception of our Lord, the same 
eager listening at the beginning of His discourse, the 
same indignation and rejection before the end. 

" How can this man give us his flesh to eat \ " they 
asked. 

Tens of thousands have asked this question since that 
day : " How can Christ be present whole and entire 
in the Host ? " The answer is that we do not know 
how. Our Lord did not tell the Jews to understand 
the mystery, but to believe it, to believe Him who for 
years had been working among them the signs for 
which they asked, signs such as no other man had ever 
wrought. They ought to have believed His word and 
waited humbly to see how He would accomplish it. But 
instead of this many even of His disciples among the 
crowd said: 

" This saying is hard, who can hear it ? " 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 249 

And they went back and walked no more with Him. 

Let us stop a moment to ask what this wonderful 
Promise really meant, and why so precious a Gift was 
left us. 

When our Divine Lord took a body and soul like ours 
and the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us, 
He did not mean this dwelling in our midst to be 
merely for the time of His mortal life, and for the 
few who were able to approach Him then. It was to 
be for all time and for all mankind. His blessed body, 
whose touch gave life and healing to the sick of Gali- 
lee and Judea, was to be our life and healing, too. Nay, 
we were to be allowed a closer union with Him than 
were those whose sores He touched and healed. He 
promised a Divine Bread that should give life to the 
world. This Bread was to be His Flesh and the food 
of all who should believe in Him : 

" My Flesh is meat indeed and My Blood is drink 
indeed," are His solemn, earnest words. 

When our Lord spoke in parables, He explained 
their meaning clearly, at least to the Apostles. But 
there was no parable here. He meant just what He 
said, and when some of His hearers, refusing to be- 
lieve, went away, He let them go. He would have let 
the Twelve go had they refused to take His words as 
He meant them, in their simple, literal meaning. The 
way in which He was going to make this Gift to men 
and the manner in which His Body and Blood were 
to be received, He did not at this time explain. 

He watched the disciples going away, and, turning 
to the Twelve, said sadly: 
" Will you also go away \ " 



250 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Simon Peter, his face aglow with love and loyalty, 
replied for all: 

" Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words 
of eternal life. And we have believed and have known 
that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God." 

Our Lord accepted from their spokesman, Peter, this 
solemn confession of faith from eleven among the 
Apostles. But not from the twelfth. For He saw 
among His Twelve one who for some time past had 
followed Him in body only, whose heart was far away. 
Judas was now full of anger and vexation because his 
Master had refused the earthly kingdom which the peo- 
ple had pressed upon Him. He did not care to be His 
disciple any longer, and He was annoyed at His teach- 
ing and at the marks of reverence shown Him. 

The heart of Christ our Lord, then, was full of sad- 
ness this day at Capharnaum. Though nothing dis- 
turbed His peace or tried His patience, unkindness, 
distrust and ingratitude wounded Him sensibly. He 
felt keenly the rejection of His best Gift, the desertion 
of His disciples, the gradual hardening of heart and 
falling away of one of the Twelve. For of all hearts 
His was the most faithful, the most tender and affec- 
tionate. 



XXXI. 

" LOED, HELP ME ! " 

We are drawing near to the end. 

Not Judas alone but all those who looked for a Mes- 
siah who should be the temporal Ruler and Liberator of 
His people, were grievously disappointed when our 
Lord declared that Lie had not come to be a king of the 
world. It was an earthly kingdom that they wanted, 
not the Kingdom of Heaven of which He spoke. 

According to the rabbis, the Messiah was to march 
at the head of His people against all heathen nations, 
to make them subject to the Jews, and to rule from 
Jerusalem over the whole earth. There was to be a 
reign of a thousand years, a reign of prosperity, glory 
and pleasure for the people of God. The fruit trees 
and the harvest fields were to yield their produce con- 
tinually, and every product of every clime was to be 
found in Palestine in an abundance such as the wildest 
imagination only could conceive. Jewish children were 
brought up from their earliest years with these expecta- 
tions, and even our Lord's disciples were full of such 
earthly hopes. So that when, about this time, their 
Master began to break gently to them that He was going 
to redeem the world, not by fighting against the 
Romans, but by shedding His Blood, they could not un- 
derstand what He meant. 

His enemies — the priests, the Pharisees, the Saddu- 
cees and the Herodians — were glad to see the people dis- 
appointed, and their enthusiasm for Jesus of Nazareth 
cooling. They told them that a poor, unlearned man, 
the son of a carpenter, could never be the glorious Mes- 
14 251 



252 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

siah of whom Moses and the Prophets had spoken. 
They reproved the poor sick people who came to Him 
on the Sabbath to be cured. They followed Him about, 
watching Him, laughing at Him, putting difficult ques- 
tions to Him in the hope of puzzling Him. 

For a long time our Lord bore meekly with the Phari- 
sees, who were among the most violent of His enemies. 
He answered their questions, though He knew they 
were only asked to entrap Him, and gently pointed out 
to them the sins which made them displeasing to God. 
But when He saw that they continued to shut their eyes 
to the light, and that they were leading the people away 
from Him, He fearlessly and publicly rebuked them 
for their hypocrisy and pride, and warned them of 
the terrible punishment they were preparing for them- 
selves. One day He told the people this parable: 

" Two men went up into the Temple to pray, the one 
a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee, 
standing, prayed thus with himself : ' God, I give 
Thee thanks that I am not like the rest of men, extor- 
tioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican. I 
fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.' 
And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much 
as lift up his eyes towards Heaven, but struck his 
breast, saying : ' O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' 
I say to you this man went down to his house justified ; 
i that is, pleasing to God,' rather than the other, be- 
cause everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled, 
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 

How the pride of the Pharisees must have been stung 
by this parable! To think of anyone daring to com- 
pare a Pharisee with a publican, and preferring the 
publican ! From this time their rage against our Lord 



JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 253 

knew no bounds, and they leagued with their enemies, 
the Sadducees and the Herodians, to bring about His 
destruction. 

He knew all their plots, but went calmly on His way, 
teaching and healing, casting out devils, and training 
His Apostles, knowing that His enemies could do noth- 
ing against Him until His hour should come. On a 
certain day, when He had been telling the people that in 
the Kingdom of God the last should be first and the first 
last — a prospect very unwelcome to the Pharisees — 
some of these came and said to Him : 

" Get Thee hence, for Herod hath a mind to kill 
Thee." 

He answered : " Go and tell that fox : Behold, I 
cast out devils and do cures to-day and to-morrow, and 
the third day I am consummated." " No man," He 
said another day, " taketh My life away from Me, but 
I lay it down of Myself, and I have power to lay it 
down, and I have power to take it up again." 

One day our Lord crossed the northern border of 
Palestine and came into the heathen land of Phoenicia. 
" He would that no man should know it," says St. Mark, 
" but He could not be hid." His fame had gone beyond 
the limits of His own little country, and a poor pagan 
woman came to Him in her distress. Her daughter 
was possessed by an evil spirit, and the mother, who had 
heard of the cures in Palestine, hoped that Jesus of 
Nazareth would have pity on her child. So she came 
after Him crying out : 

" Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David, 
my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil." 

But He answered her not a word. " What an un- 
heard of thing is this ! " says St. John Chrysostom, 



254 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

(i He helped those who were undeserving ; He would 
not send away those who came to tempt and hurt Him, 
but for one who ran after Him and humbly implored 
His aid He had not a word." 

The disciples, annoyed at the disturbance she was 
making, came to Him, saying: 

" Send her away, for she crieth after us." 

But she would not be sent away, and, paying no heed 
to them, she besought Him that He would cast forth the 
devil out of her daughter. 

And He, answering, said : i( I was not sent but to 
the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel." 

What a disappointment ! And she had been told He 
was so kind to those in trouble. Anyone but a mother 
would have lost heart and gone away disconsolate ; but 
she did not give in, she was not discouraged. She came 
and fell down at His feet and adored Him, saying: 

"Lord, help me!" 

And He said : " It is not good to take the bread of 
the children and to cast it to the dogs." 

To this poor woman these words sounded harsher 
than they do to us, for the dogs of the East are not 
the companions and pets we make them, but starving, 
wretched creatures for which nobody cares. It is not 
fit, our Lord meant, that the favours granted to the 
children of God, that is, to the Jews, should be given 
to pagans like her. 

Will she go away now, hurt or brokenhearted? 

No, she is too humble to be hurt, too resolute to be 
brokenhearted. She will turn His words against Him 
and make them plead her cause, 

" Yes, Lord," she says eagerly, " for the whelps also 
eat under the table of the crumbs of the children. What 
Thou sayest is true. It is not fit to take the children's 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 255 

bread for the dogs, but it is fit to give just the crumbs 
to the little dogs waiting under the table for them. 
This will not hurt the children. I am only a dog, but 
a little one to whom some broken bits might perhaps 
out of kindness be given." 

How could our Lord hold out any longer ! He had 
determined to set this poor heathen before His followers 
to the end of time as a model of the humble, persever- 
ing prayer that wins reward at last. Therefore He was 
obliged to try her by seeming hard. It was all seem- 
ing. From the first He was full of compassion for her 
and her unhappy child. He longed to help her, and had 
to hold back the tender, pitying words His heart was 
prompting Him to say. They came at last as an out- 
burst of admiration that He could no longer restrain : 

" O woman, great is thy faith, be it done unto thee 
as thou wilt ! " 

He who rebuked His disciples for their little faith 
was delighted with what He found in this Canaanite. 
He liked, too, the way in which she turned His words 
about the dogs against Him. St. Mark says it was this 
sharpness of hers that in the end gained her cause. 
And Jesus said: 

" For this saying, go thy way, the devil is gone out 
of thy daughter." 

And, when she was come into her house, she found 
the girl lying upon the bed, and that the devil was gone 
out. Was it worth while to have waited patiently and 
humbly, and to have persisted in spite of weariness and 
delay ? 



XXX1L 

AT C^SAREA PHILIPPI. 

In the north of Palestine at the foot of snowy Her- 
mon stood the magnificent city of Cassarea Philippi. 
Philip, the tetrarch, had enlarged and beautified it 
and called it Csesarea, in honour of Tiberias Caesar. 
Philippi, from Philip, was added to distinguish it 
from another Csesarea on the coast. The city is inter- 
esting to us, not for its heathen memories, but for the 
presence of Christ our Lord in its neighbourhood, and 
for the events that took place there one memorable day. 

It was now about ten months before the Passion, and 
the Apostles had been in the company of our Blessed 
Lord for nearly three years. During those years their 
knowledge of Him had been gradually growing. At 
the time of their call it was very imperfect indeed, and 
even later, when, from His teaching and wonderful 
works, they had come to acknowledge Him as the Mes- 
siah, their belief as to who He was remained very 
vague. Like the rest of their nation they knew that 
the Messiah was to be a great Deliverer; they did not 
clearly understand that He would be God. And by 
minding only the glorious things foretold of Him by 
the Prophets, they had lost sight of the prophecy that 
He would be a Man of Sorrows. 

It was time for our Lord to test the faith of the 
Twelve, to prepare them for His coming Passion and 
Death, and to lay the foundations of that Church by 
which men were to be brought to the knowledge of Him 
and of what they must do to save their souls. 

All this was to be done at Csesarea Philippi. What 
256 



JESUS OF STAZABETH. 257 

wonder that on the morning of the eventful day of 
which we are speaking He was found alone in prayer ! 

When He rose from His prayer He said to the 
Twelve : 

" Who do men say that I am ? " 

And they said : " Some, John the Baptist, and other 
some, Elias, and others Jeremias or one of the 
Prophets." 

Jesus said to them : " But who do you say that I 
am?" 

Peter, foremost as usual, answered : " Thou art 
Christ, the Son of the Living God." 

Here was a glorious profession of faith, proclaiming 
Christ to be true God, equal to the Father in all things. 

Jesus said to him : " Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
Jona, because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to 
thee, but My Father who is in Heaven. And I say to 
thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build 
My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the 
Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind 
upon earth it shall be bound also in Heaven, and what- 
soever thou shalt loose on earth it shall be loosed also 
in Heaven." 

Thus, in reward for his grand confession, was Peter 
made the Yicar of Christ on earth. The other Apos- 
tles understood now why, on seeing him for the first 
time, their Master had called him a rock. As a rock 
keeps the house firm that is built upon it, so was Peter 
to keep steady and united the Church founded by 
Christ on him. 

And the gates of hell — the power of the devil — shall 
not prevail against it. Because by the gift of inf alii- 



258 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

bility, Peter and his successors, when they speak to the 
whole Church on matters of faith or morals, will be pre- 
served from teaching what is false. 

But Peter is to be not the foundation only, but the 
Governor and Head of the Church. Therefore, as the 
governor of a city has the keys put into his hands, so 
has Peter received full power over the Church to give 
orders and make laws as he shall see fit. And Christ, 
the invisible Head of the Church, promises to con- 
firm in Heaven the acts of His Vicar on earth. 

Moreover, as the Church is not to pass away with 
Peter, but to last as long as the world, what is promised 
to Peter is promised to his successors to the end of time. 

^ow that through their spokesman the Apostles had 
confessed their faith in our Lord's Divinity, He be- 
gan to show them that sin requires expiation, and that 
this can be made only by suffering. Gently and gradu- 
ally He broke it to them that He would have to redeem 
the world by bitter pains and a cruel death, but that He 
would rise again the third day. "And He began to 
teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many 
things, and be rejected by the ancients and by the high 
priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three 
days rise again." 

They were horrified. It was so different from what 
they had expected. Why, it was only the other day 
that He was nearly being made King ! To be the Mes- 
siah and to suffer ! To be the Son of the Living God 
and to be killed ! It was more than Peter, with his 
faith in our Lord's Divinity, his reverence, his intense 
affection for Him, could bear. And — oh, what bold- 
ness! — he took Him aside and began to rebuke Him- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 259 

" Lord, be it far from Thee, this shall not be unto 
Thee." 

" Go behind Me, Satan ! because thou savourest not 
the things that are of God but the things that are of 
men." 

What tremendous words ! and from the lips that had 
just said : " Blessed art thou." Poor Peter fell back, 
dismayed, among his fellow- Apostles. It was a severe 
reproof, and showed the Twelve that no one must ven- 
ture to dissuade the Master from going through the 
terrible sufferings that lay before Him. His Heart 
was full of His coming Passion. From this time He 
spoke of it often, and each time with greater fulness : 

" The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands 
of men, and they shall mock Him, and kill Him, and 
the third day He shall rise again." Always at the end 
those comforting words. He never separated the Pas- 
sion from the Resurrection, that the thought of our 
resurrection and of the joys of Heaven may support us 
in the troubles of this short life. 

But the poor disciples could not take in either the 
trouble or the comfort that He foretold : and " they were 
afraid to ask Him," says St. Luke, so they used " to 
question among themselves what these things might 
mean." 

And there was more yet. Not only did our Lord 
foretell His own sufferings, but He now made it clear 
that the disciples must be like their Master and that 
through labours and trials of every kind they must fol- 
low Him into the Kingdom of Heaven — they and all 
who professed themselves His disciples. He was so 
resolved that there should be no mistake on this point 
that He called the multitudes together with His dis- 
ciples and said to all; 



260 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

" If any man will come after Me, let him deny him- 
self and take up his cross and follow Me." 

These words sorely distressed the Twelve. To think 
of all their expectations coming to this — a suffering 
Messiah, and no end of troubles for all who followed 
Him! Their Master had pity on them, and to 
strengthen their faith and courage He gave them a 
proof of His Divinity and a foretaste of the reward 
prepared for them in Heaven when their trials here 
were over. It happened in this way: 

One evening, a week after Peter's confession at 
Caesarea Philippi, He took Peter and James and John 
and went up into a mountain to pray. He loved the 
mountains. They lifted Him for a little while above 
this sad earth. He loved the majesty of their solitude, 
their stillness, their strength. He loved the tranquil 
glory of the midnight skies into which they rose. He 
was the Creator of the starry heavens above Him. He 
knew and controlled all that they contain. If one of 
His Saints exclaimed : " How dull does earth appear 
when I look up to Heaven," how did His glorious Soul 
pour Itself forth in admiration and praise as He knelt 
there amid the wonders of His own creation through 
those eastern nights! 

And so this evening He went up the mountain, prob- 
ably Thabor or Hermon, with His chosen three. It 
was getting dark when they reached the top and knelt 
down to pray. His companions watched with Him 
awhile, then, wearied with the labours of the day and 
the steep ascent, and drowsy in the strong mountain air, 
they fell asleep. 

A dazzling light falling on their faces roused them. 
They woke and looked around. The Mount, the sur- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 261 

rounding heavens, the earth beneath were lit up by a 
supernatural splendour. And there in the midst — the 
Source from which all that glory streamed — was their 
Master, so transfigured that His face shone as the sun, 
and His glittering garments were white as no fuller on 
earth can make white. The glory of the Divinity 
within poured Itself out upon His Face and Form with 
a brilliancy so intense as to transfigure even His rai- 
ment. He had laid aside the form of a servant and 
taken to Himself the majesty and splendour that be- 
came the Son of God. The Sacred Humanity was like 
a lantern enclosing a light too brilliant to be seen with- 
out a shade. In the Transfiguration the shade was 
withdrawn, and, for an instant, the Light of Light in 
its transplendent beauty was seen by men. 

And, behold ! two men, Moses and Elias, appeared in 
majesty, and they were talking with Jesus of His de- 
cease which He should accomplish in Jerusalem. Here 
was a new wonder, Moses, the Lawgiver of the Jews, 
and Elias, the most marvellous Prophet of the Old 
Law, coming to pay homage to the Founder of the New 
Law, and speaking to Him, even in this scene of glory, 
of His coming sufferings and death. One of the ac- 
cusations of our Lord's enemies was that He did not 
respect the Law of Moses. What would His accusers 
have said had they seen Moses on this night humbly 
waiting on Jesus of Nazareth as a servant on his lord! 

The glorious scene before them so captivated the 
Apostles that they could only enjoy it in silent awe and 
intense delight. They listened to Moses and Elias 
speaking in admiration and gratitude to our Lord of 
His coming Passion. They heard His tender words in 
reply. How long this lasted we do not know, but when 



262 JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 

the Saints seemed to be going Peter, in his vehement 
desire to keep them, cried out : 

" Lord, it is good for us to be here, if Thou wilt let 
us make here three tabernacles, one for Thee, one for 
Moses, and one for Eli as ! " " not knowing what he 
said," adds St. Luke. Truly, not knowing what he 
said. It was a simple thought at which he must have 
wondered afterwards, that those three, resplendent with 
heavenly glory, could need a dwelling made with hands ! 

And as he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud 
overshadowed them, and lo ! a Voice out of the cloud 
saying i 

" This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well 
pleased: hear ye Him." 

And the disciples, hearing, fell upon their faces and 
were very much afraid. Overwhelmed by the awful- 
ness of so much glory, they did not dare to look up till 
Jesus came and touched them and said to them: 

"Arise, and fear not ! " 

And they, lifting up their eyes and looking about, 
saw no one but only Jesus. The bright cloud had dis- 
appeared. The sky was dark as before, lit only by the 
distant stars. Moses and Elias were gone, and Jesus, 
gentle and lowly as usual, was bending over them and 
telling them not to be afraid. And, as they came down 
from the mountain, He charged them saying: 

" Tell the vision to no man till the Son of Man be 
risen from the dead." 

St. Mark adds: "And they kept the word to them- 
selves, questioning together what that should mean 
' when He shall be risen from the dead.' " 

Poor Apostles ! not their Master only, but now Moses 
and Elias had spoken of the Death that was at hand. 
And still they could not understand. Peter had wished 




MARTHA AND MARY. 

" Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken 
away from her." — Luke 10. 42. 



JESUS OF NAZAEETH. 265 

that night of glory to last for ever. It was good for 
them to be there on the Mount of Transfiguration, he 
said. He did not know that this glimpse of Heaven was 
to prepare them to tread the Way of the Cross, and he 
little dreamed of another hill, a hill of shame, on which 
one of the three was to stand beside his Master before 
many months were passed. 

The memory of that glorious night was graven deep 
in the minds of the Apostles. St. Peter, writing to 
the faithful thirty-five years later, speaks of what he 
had heard " when we were with Him in the holy 
Mount. " And in the Last Gospel we hear St. John 
saying: "And we saw His glory, the glory as it were 
of the Only-Begotten of the Father, full of grace and 
truth." 

His glory was shown to them that their faith might 
not falter at the sight of His shame, and that all who 
believe in Him may know that the Way of the Cross 
is the Way to Heaven, and that the sufferings of this 
short life are not worthy to be compared with the glory 
that is to come. 

Coming down from the mountain next morning our 
Lord found the nine Apostles who had been left be- 
hind, surrounded by a great crowd, and in a difficulty. 
A poor, possessed boy had been brought to them for 
cure, and they could not cast out the devil. How glad 
they were to see their Master coming to their help. 
And there was another glad, too. The father of the 
boy came running to Jesus, and, falling at His feet, 
cried out: 

" Lord, have pity on my son, because he is my only 
one. And, lo ! a spirit seizeth him and he suddenly 
crieth out, and he throweth him down and teareth him. 



266 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

so that he foameth, and bruising him he hardly de- 
parteth from him. And I desired Thy disciples to cast 
him out and they could not." 

And Jesus said : " O unbelieving and perverse gen- 
eration, how long shall I be with you, how long shall I 
suffer you ? Bring him hither to Me." 

And as he was coming to Him the spirit troubled 
him, and being thrown down upon the ground, he rolled 
about foaming. 

And Jesus asked his father : " How long is it since 
this hath happened unto him ? " 

But he said : " From his infancy. And oftentimes 
hath he cast him into the fire and often into waters to 
destroy him. But if Thou canst do anything, help us 
having compassion on us." 

And Jesus said to him : "If thou canst believe, all 
things are possible to him that believeth." 

And immediately the father of the boy, crying out 
with tears, said: 

" I do believe, Lord, help my unbelief." 

And Jesus said : " Deaf and dumb spirit, I com- 
mand thee, go out of him and enter not any more into 
him." 

And, crying out and greatly tearing him, he went out 
of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: 
" He is dead." But Jesus taking him by the hand 
lifted him up; and he arose and was cured from that 
hour. 

And when He was come into the house, His disciples 
secretly asked Him : " Why could not we cast him 
out ? " And He said to them : " This kind can go 
out by nothing but by prayer and fasting." 



XXXIII. 

WITH THE CHILDREN. 

In spite of all our Lord could do and say, the minds 
of the Apostles were still full of the coming Kingdom 
and of the first places there. Whether it was the 
favour shown to the three who had been taken into 
the room of J aims' little daughter when the rest were 
left outside, and had been with the Master on the Mount, 
where it was plain they had seen something wonderful 
and heard some secret which they would not tell the 
nine; or whether the great promise made to Peter after 
his confession at Csesarea Philippi had aroused jealousy 
among the others, there was a dispute among the Twelve 
at this time as to which of them was the greatest. 
Andrew was the first called; James and eTohn were 
cousins, or, in Jewish language, " brothers " of the 
Lord ; and John was plainly His best beloved. On the 
other hand, Peter was the most noticed by the Master 
and was the Rock; Judas came from the south, and 
spoke the best, and was better off than the rest. Which 
of them, then, was the greatest ? This was the kind of 
talk among them as they walked one day behind our 
Lord on the way to Capharnaum. When they came 
to the house He said quietly: 

" What did you treat of in the way ? " 

" But they held their peace," says St. Mark, " for 
in the way they had disputed among themselves which 
of them should be the greatest." 

At length one bolder than the rest answered the Mas- 
ter's question after a fashion by putting another: 

267 



268 JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 

" .Who, thinkest Thou, is the greater in the King- 
dom of Heaven ? " 

It shows their confidence in our Blessed Lord, and 
their habit of taking all difficulties to Him, that 
ashamed as they were of being caught in this dispute, 
they yet appealed to Him to settle it and to satisfy their 
curiosity. 

Our Lord sat down and made them all come round 
Him. A little child happened to be near. Jesus called 
him, and, when He had embraced him, He set him in 
the midst. See the Twelve looking at the child, won- 
dering what was coming and why he was put there. 
See the child looking round innocently at them all, 
standing there at our Lord's knee because he was bid, 
asking no questions. 

And Jesus said to them: "Amen, I say to you unless 
you be converted and become as little children you 
shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoso- 
ever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, 
he is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven." 

What a surprise! They had been disputing about 
the first place, and He threatens them with not getting 
in at all unless they change. 

Our Blessed Lord goes on to speak of the precious- 
ness of these little ones in the sight of God, of the 
reward those will have who do them good, and of the 
terrible punishment those deserve who teach them what 
is wrong, or neglect or harm them in any way: 

" He that shall receive one such little child in My 
Name receiveth Me. But he that shall scandalise one 
of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better 
for him that a millstone should be hanged about his 
neck and that he should be drowned in the depth of the 
sea. See that you despise not one of these little ones, 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 271 

for I say to you that their Angels in Heaven always 
see the face of My Father who is in Heaven. " 

We must not think that these solemn promises and 
threats are for grown up people only. They are for 
children too. Children help or harm one another very 
much. Wherever they meet — in the playground, in 
the street, in church, at school, at home, they are doing 
good or doing mischief, pleasing or displeasing the 
Good Angels of their brothers, or sisters, or companions. 
The Holy Angels watch with the greatest care over the 
little ones entrusted to them. Happy those who make 
friends of these blessed spirits by helping their little 
charges. But woe to any who by word or example 
harm a little child. Its powerful friend and pro- 
tector who stands always in the Presence of God will 
accuse them there. 

Children are very dear to our Blessed Lord, and 
He loves to see them near Him. He was resting one 
day when some Jewish mothers, who had watched their 
opportunity, brought a whole flock of little ones, in- 
fants in arms many of them, that He might touch them 
and lay His hands on them and pray. 

The Apostles were not at all kind to the visitors 
and went about rebuking both mothers and children: 
" Get away, children," they said, " the Master is tired 
and cannot do with you.' 7 They had soon forgotten 
the lesson He had given them at Capharnaum and the 
small teacher He had set over them there. They 
thought, no doubt, that to be worthy of their Master 's 
attention, all should be important people like them- 
selves. He had to teach them for the second time that 
they must become like children if they were to be near 
and dear to Him. A child is — or ought to be — simple 
15 



272 JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 

and innocent, content to be little, to depend on others, 
to obey. This is why he is great in God's sight and 
worthy to be set as an example even to Apostles. 

Jesus, seeing the children being driven away, was 
much displeased and said to the Twelve: 

" Suffer the little children to come unto Me and for- 
bid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God." 

From these words we see that the children were 
eager to come to Him, and were not simply brought by 
others. How gentle and inviting must have been His 
look, that encouraged the little troop to make their way 
up to Him in spite of the rough ways and words of the 
Twelve! They clustered round His knees. They 
held out their arms to be taken into His. They cried 
out " me ! me ! " as they saw first one and then another 
folded in His embrace. They prattled round Him. 
They nestled on His breast. They took His hand and 
held it fast. Happy little children, who shall tell 
the graces that came to them that day from their 
Saviour's blessing and caress ! 



XXXIV. 



WITH THE TWELVE. 



~No one must keep the children from Him, and no 
one must hinder His coming Passion. Only when the 
disciples did these things was their Master angry with 
them. He was patient with their dulness — and, oh! 
they were dull — and with their many faults. 

He had taught them to be kind and forgiving. But 
when a Samaritan city refused Him a passage through, 
because He was going to Jerusalem, James and John, 
filled with indignation, said : " Lord, wilt Thou that 
we command fire from Heaven to come down and con- 
sume them ? " " You know not of what spirit you are," 
He answered quietly ; " the Son of Man came not to 
destroy souls but to save." 

People who did not do as they did were sure to be 
in the wrong. " Master," said John to Him, " we saw 
one casting out devils in Thy Name who followeth not 
us, and we forbade him." " Do not forbid him," Jesus 
answered ; " he that is not against you is for you." 

He had been telling the Twelve to try to gain by 
gentleness a brother who might have offended them. 
" How often shall my brother offend against me and I 
forgive him ? till seven times ? " said Peter, thinking 
this a great stretch of generosity. " I say not to thee 
till seven times," Jesus answered, " but till seventy 
times seven times." 

One day a young man came running up to Jesus, and, 
kneeling before Him, said: 

" Good Master, what shall I do that I may receive 
life everlasting ? " 

273 



274 JESUS OF NAZABETH. 

Our Lord told him that he must keep the Command- 
ments. 

"All these have I kept from my youth: what is yet 
wanting to me ? " he said, and looked up with inno- 
cent eyes into the face of Jesus. 

He spoke truly, his soul was beautiful in the sight 
of God. And Jesus looking on Him loved him and 
said to him: 

" One thing is wanting to thee ; if thou wilt be per- 
fect, go sell all whatsoever thou hast, and give to the 
poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven, and 
come, follow Me." 

When the young man heard this he went away sad, 
for he had great possessions. And Jesus, seeing him 
become sad, looking round about, said to His disciples: 

" Children, how hard it is for them that trust in 
riches to enter into the Kingdom of God. It is easier 
for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for 
a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God." 

Then Peter answering, said to Him : " Behold, we 
have left all things and have followed Thee : what there- 
fore shall we have V 9 

Instead of reproving this fisherman for talking about 
leaving all things, Jesus said to him: 

"Amen, I say to you, that you who have followed 
Me, when the Son of Man shall sit on the seat of His 
majesty, you also shall sit on twelve thrones judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel." 

Perhaps it was this promise of thrones that made 
James and John ask a little later for the first place in 
the Kingdom that was coming. Our Lord was not 
angry with them, but wonderfully indulgent and pa- 
tient. He saw that the faults of His Apostles were on 
the surface only, so much on the surface, indeed, that 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 277 

they were very visible. But their hearts were right. 
They were simple and straightforward, having no se- 
crets from Him, coming out with all that they felt with- 
out caring whether it might meet with a reproof. And 
when He did reprove, they were docile and saw their 
fault, and were sorry and began to try again. There 
was no sulking, no keeping away from Him after a 
rebuke. And often there was something good and 
generous even in their failures. If James and John 
were hard upon the Samaritan city, it was because they 
could not bear to see their Master treated with dis- 
respect. If they asked for the first places in His King- 
dom, it was that they might be near Him. And if 
Peter inquired whether he should forgive seven times, 
it was from the fear that such generosity might per- 
haps be excessive. They spoke of having left all for 
Christ because they had left willingly the little they 
had, and would have left palaces and all the wealth of 
this world had it been theirs. 

Dear Apostles of our Lord! with all their short- 
comings, how delightful they are, how charming in 
their simplicity and in the devotedness of their rough, 
tender hearts. We could not spare one single word 
they say, one act of loving ambition, or faulty zeal. 
But for them we should never have known our Blessed 
Saviour as we do. It is encouraging to find that in 
spite of His teaching and blessed example always be- 
fore their eyes, they remained for a long time so im- 
perfect. It helps us to see them struggling with the 
same passions we have to fight, and falling again and 
again into the same faults. 

One, one only among His Twelve disappointed the 
Master and lay like a dead weight on His Heart, that 



278 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

one on whom all His teaching and deeds of mercy and 
of power were thrown away, who hardened himself more 
and more now that the prospects of an earthly king- 
dom seemed to be vanishing. Judas remained indeed 
in the little company and followed his Master still, but 
in body only. He had long since ceased to care for 
Him who had called him. His life was all pretence; 
his prayers with the others, his teaching of the people, 
his conversations with our Lord when he was obliged to 
speak — all this was acting. We never find him asking 
questions like the rest when their Master was instruct- 
ing them. He did not care to learn, for he did not 
mean to improve. There was only one thing he really 
cared for now, and that was — money. Little by little 
he had let this love of money take possession of him, 
till at last all his thought was to get it, no matter how. 
He had charge of the purse which contained the alms 
given for the support of our Lord and the Apostles, and 
the poor. He began to steal from this purse. The 
first time his conscience reproached him terribly and 
made him very unhappy. He was afraid, too, that 
our Lord, who of course knew of his theft, might re- 
prove him for it before his fellow-Apostles. But as 
time went on and his Master said nothing, at least in 
public, he grew bolder and took more and more. 

Jesus loved him tenderly still. He had called him 
to be an Apostle because He loved him and saw in his 
soul what pleased Him, and He warned him again and 
again to beware of the covetousness which like poison 
was killing all the good that was there. He kept him 
in His company, He treated him like the rest, sent him 
out to preach, gave him power to cast out devils and to 
cure, spoke to him kindly, tried to win him — but all 
in vain. The agony He felt at the gradual falling away 



JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 279 

of Hk poor, miserable Apostle comes out when He 
speaks of His coming Passion. He mentions a few 
only of the sufferings that were in store for Him, the 
sharpest, and chiefly the pains of the soul — mocking, 
spitting, betrayal. This last was the worst. He could 
bear insult and cruelty from the Gentiles who knew 
Him not, but betrayal from one of His own ! Oh, the 
anguish there is in those words at the Last Supper: 
"Amen, I say to you, one of you shall betray Me ! " 

Our Lord was praying one day whilst His disciples 
stood at a little distance watching Him. They never 
tired of seeing Him at prayer. His stillness, His pro- 
found reverence, the fervour of soul that appeared on 
His countenance filled them with admiration and the 
desire to pray like Him. This day one of them said 
when His prayer was finished : 

" Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his 
disciples." 

The Prophets had taught them ; the rabbis had taught 
them. Their prayers began with one or other of the 
Names by which God was known to the Jews: "the 
Strong One," " the Adorable," " the great Lord," " the 
God of Hosts," "the Most High," "the Almighty." 
One Name out of reverence they might never pro- 
nounce— Jehovah, " He who is and will be." How 
will their Master have them speak to God ? by what 
dread Name must they call Him? See them gather 
round Him, eager, reverent. Watch their faces as He 
makes answer: 

" When you pray say : Father, hallowed be Thy 
Name ; Thy Kingdom come ; give us this day our daily 
bread; and forgive us our sins as we also forgive our 
debtors ; and lead us not into temptation." 



280 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

What a surprise, what a relief! No terrible Name, 
but " Father." They may speak to the God who made 
them as children to the most loving of fathers, and ask, 
not for great things only, but for little things, for the 
least things, for everything. They remember how long 
ago He said to Jthem: " Thus, therefore shall you 
pray: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be 
Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy Will be done 
on earth as it is in Heaven." It was a little shorter 
now, but the same prayer. " Father, Our Father " — 
the prayer for all. He makes no exception ; the poorest, 
then, the most ignorant, the most guilty have a right 
to look up and say : " Our Father who art in Heaven." 

Yes, there is nothing our Lord has more at heart 
than this — to see us go to our Heavenly Father with 
great confidence and ask again and again for all we 
want, persisting if we do not obtain at once. To show 
how we should persist, He told the people a parable of 
a man who goes at midnight to his friend and says to 
him: "Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of 
mine has come off his journey and I have nothing to 
set before him." He from within answers : " Trouble 
me not, the door is now shut, and my children are with 
me in bed, I cannot rise and give thee." " Yet," our 
Lord goes on, " if he shall continue knocking, I say 
unto you, although he will not rise and give him, be- 
cause he is his friend, yet because of his importunity 
he will rise, and give him as many as he needeth. And 
I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and 
you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." 

We are to knock again and again, and louder and 
louder by persevering prayer till at last the door is 
opened. Any other friend would be annoyed at such 
persistence, but God loves it and delights to reward it, 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 281 

as He rewarded the perseverance of the Canaanite. 
And here we may notice in passing what beautiful 
prayers, prayers we can all feel and say, prayers of sin- 
ners and needy ones like ourselves, the Gospel gives 
us: 

" Lord, help me ! " " Lord, if Thou wilt Thou canst 
make me clean." " Lord, save me, I perish ! " "O 
God, be merciful to me, a sinner !" 

It was about this time that our Lord chose seventy- 
two of His disciples and sent them two and two to 
preach. It was now, too, that He spoke that most 
beautiful parable of the Prodigal Son, to encourage 
all who have wandered from their Father's Home to 
return to the open arms and the welcome that await 
them there. 

A certain man had two sons, and the younger of 
them said to his father : " Give me the portion of 
substance that falleth to me." He had all he needed to 
make him happy in that home of his — all but the spirit 
of contentment and gratitude. But, wanting these, 
he wanted everything. He was restless and dissatisfied. 
He thought he would be happier away from his father's 
eye, in some far off country where he would be his own 
master and could do jnst as he liked — no rules, no 
duties, no reminders, nothing but pleasure all day and 
all night, a good time always. 

His share of his father's wealth would have come to 
him on the old man's death, but he could not wait. So 
he went to his father and said : " Give me now what 
I shall have when you die." There was no reproach at 
the heartless words; the father divided all he had be- 
tween his sons; and, not many days after, the younger, 



282 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

gathering all together, left home and set out for the 
far country. Many places that he passed on his way 
looked bright and tempting, but they were too neaT 
home; his father might come to hear of him and try to 
get him back. At last he was far enough. From the 
gay city here no news of him would ever reach his 
home. So he settled down and soon found himself 
surrounded by a number of young fellows, only too glad 
to make friends with a rich stranger, and be treated at 
his expense. 

All went merrily for a while — as long as the money 
lasted. Then came a change. One by one his new 
friends left him, famine brought distress upon the 
country, and he began to be in want — the spoilt child of 
that wealthy home, in want! He hired himself to a 
man who sent him into his farm to feed swine. There, 
day after day he sat among them, cold, hungry, friend- 
less, coveting the husks they ate. Then in the misery 
of his need came the memory of his home and of the 
plenty there: 

" How many servants in my father's house abound 
with bread/' he said to himself, " and I here perish 
with hunger." 

He thought of his wilfulness and ingratitude, and 
— oh, well for him that it was so! of the goodness of 
his father's heart. 

" I will arise," he said, " and will go to my father 
and say to him: Father, I have sinned against Hea- 
ven and before thee ; I am not now worthy to be called 
thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants." To be 
back again under the old roof and earn his bread there 
as a hired servant was more than he deserved, but he 
would ask it of his father's charity. 

And he arose and set out on his way home. There 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 283 

was weariness to be faced, for the way was long. There 
was shame, too, as he drew near the old, familiar 
places. But no one knew him. E"o one recognized 
in the ragged, miserable boy, starved and ill, the 
sprightly young fellow who had turned his back on 
home and gone far away and been lost sight of. 

No one ? Yes, there was one who knew him, one 
who had never lost sight of him, who had watched for 
him daily, who was watching now. When he was yet 
a great way off his father saw him and was moved with 
compassion, and, running to him, fell upon his neck 
and kissed him. The poor boy fell on his knees, and, 
covering his face with his hands, sobbed out: 

" Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before 
thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son." 

~No more; for his father's kiss had sealed his lips, 
and his father's arms were round him. And the ser- 
vants were bidden to make haste lest any should see him 
in his disgrace — make haste to clothe him once more 
as a son, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his 
poor, blistered feet, and prepare a feast with music and 
dancing that they might make merry and be glad be- 
cause he had been dead and was come to life again, he 
had been lost and was found. 

Perhaps we think God Himself could hardly be 
kinder than the father of the prodigal ? Our Lord did 
not think so; He knew He is much kinder, for after 
all the father did not go out into the far country to 
look for his son and bring him back. Yet this is what 
God has done for us. He has come all the way from 
Heaven into this world to seek us, and, when we are 
sorry for our sins and want to be better, it is the voice 
of God our Father calling us back to Him. 



284 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

So our Lord made another parable of a good shep- 
herd who left his ninety-nine obedient sheep to go after 
one that had strayed away from the fold and got lost in 
the mountains, where wild beasts live and prowl about 
at night in search of such foolish wanderers. The good 
shepherd goes after his sheep in the cold wind and the 
darkness and the rain, not minding his bleeding feet, 
cut by the sharp stones of the way. He gets upon a 
little height, and stands, and listens! And, when at 
last he hears its far off bleating cry, he hastens to where, 
over the side of the precipice, it stands on a narrow 
ledge, ready to fall into the depths below and be dashed 
to pieces. At the risk of his life he leans over and 
lifts it up and sets it in safety by his side. He does 
not beat, or scold it, or drive it back to the fold, but 
speaks to it tenderly, and strokes it, and lifts it on his 
shoulder rejoicing, and so carries it home, and, when he 
gets back to the fold, calls together his friends and 
neighbours, saying: 

" Rejoice with me because I have found my sheep 
that was lost." 

" I am the Good Shepherd," said our Lord, " and I 
lay down My life for My sheep." When He told this 
story the day was drawing near when He was going 
to give His life for His sheep. He was always think- 
ing of that day and longing for it, because by His cruel 
death we, whom He loved so dearly, were to be saved. 




THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 
I am the Good Shepherd; and I know mine, and mine 
know me." — John 10. 14. 



XXXV. 

WITH HIS FRIENDS. 

The hatred of our Lord's enemies was growing in 
intensity day by day. They were now fully resolved 
upon His death, but they feared the people. And well 
they might. He had been amongst them now nearly 
three years, "curing every disease and every infirmity." 
Thousands of poor sufferers — demoniacs, lepers, the 
blind, the paralyzed, the deaf, the dumb, had been made 
happy by His kind word or His gentle touch. Would 
the people suffer harm to come near Him? This was 
the question the rulers asked somewhat anxiously when 
they met together, priests and scribes, Pharisees, Sad- 
ducees, Herodians, all united for once by their common 
hatred of Him " who went about doing good." How 
was His death to be brought about? How, without 
danger to themselves, could they get Him into their 
power ? Alas ! there was one at hand ready to help 
them. 

Meantime our Lord, who knew every word spoken in 
their secret councils, was on His way to Jerusalem. 
His hour was now nearly come, and He went forth 
bravely to meet it. St. Mark tells us that He walked 
so fast, on this His last journey to the Holy City, that 
the Twelve " were astonished and following Him were 
afraid." Some vague apprehension of coming trouble 
frightened them, though they did not understand that 
the redemption of the world was to be wrought by 
means of the sufferings and death of which their Mas- 
ter had now so frequently spoken. The Kingdom ! the 
Kingdom ! this was the cry of their hearts stilL 

287 



288 JESUS OF NAZABETH. 

The hatred of the rulers was too plainly expressed to 
be any secret to the people, and many who would have 
liked to show our Lord gratitude and hospitality were 
hindered from doing so by their fear of those in power. 
No one wanted to get into trouble with the Sanhedrim 
that formidable council which could pass and carryf 
out any sentence excepting only that of death. 

There was one house, however, where our Lord was 
always welcome, one family that counted the happiness 
of having Him under its roof to be worth any risk and 
any penalty. Let us make the acquaintance of this 
blessed family. 

To the south-east of Jerusalem, separated from the 
City by the brook Kedron, lay the Mount of Olives, so 
called from the number of olive trees with which it 
was covered. On its eastern side the Mount sloped 
down to a village about a mile and a half from Jeru- 
salem, named Bethany. Here the sisters Martha and 
Mary lived with their brother Lazarus, a quiet, happy 
little household, united by the closest affection, and 
having as their intimate Friend and frequent Guest 
the Son of God Himself. 

In character the sisters were very different, and each 
had her own way of entertaining our Blessed Lord. 
Martha, the mistress of the house, was a practical 
woman, full of activity and energy. She went here 
and there seeing herself to all the preparations. No 
trouble must be spared to make the house look nice; 
the setting out of the table, the flowers and brightness 
everywhere, must testify to the heartiness of her wel- 
come and her sense of the honour done to her by His 
visit. 

Of Mary we know something already, for, though it 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 289 

is not certain that she is the same as Mary Magdalen, 
this is the common opinion. We are not surprised, 
therefore, to find her sitting at the feet of Jesus, so 
absorbed by His Presence and conversation as to be 
unmindful of all beside. 

What joy there was in this little home when He was 
expected! As evening fell the three would go up to 
the flat roof of the house to watch for the white Figure 
coming slowly over the brow of the hill, sometimes 
with the Twelve, sometimes alone. Then they would 
go out on to the road to meet Him and reverently bring 
Him within and give Him of their best. Martha never 
thought she had done enough by way of preparation, 
and so it was with dismay she found one day that He 
had come without warning and lovingly taken them by 
surprise. Things were not ready, and there was no 
time to provide. However, she set to work with hearty 
good will, hurrying here and there, and beholding, not 
without displeasure, Mary seated as usual silent and 
still at the Master's feet. Could she not see how much 
there was to do ? It was selfish of her to sit there 
thinking of her own satisfaction only. So thought poor 
Martha as she passed and repassed the two sitting 
apart, and heard the low tones of the Master's voice, 
and saw Mary's rapt and reverent face. At last she 
turned round and spoke: 

" Master, hast Thou no care that my sister hath left 
me alone to serve? Speak to her, therefore, that she 
help me." 

Our Lord looked up : 

" Martha, Martha," He said, " thou art careful and 
art troubled about many things. But one thing is 
necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall 
not be taken away from her." 



&90 JESUS OF tfAZABETH. 

He was not displeased ; how should He be ? He who 
had noticed the want of hospitality in the house of 
Simon the Pharisee, could He blame His eager hostess 
here ? He had watched her loading the table with 
meats, and fruit, and flowers, and had accepted the 
love and generosity of her heart. But there was a 
little too much fret and fuss, and this He gently cor- 
rected. She need not have been put out because her 
sister's way of entertaining the Master was different 
from her own, and it was almost like blaming His in- 
dulgence with Mary to have found fault with her in 
His Presence. " Martha, Martha ! " He repeated her 
name twice, a mark of great affection, and there was 
more of love than of rebuke in His tone. Both the 
sisters were very dear to Him. Martha was something 
like Peter, an ardent, eager soul, and, as we shall see 
presently, she has the glory of making her profession of 
faith in the same words as those at Csesarea, which 
won for Peter the Headship of the Church. 

^ T ow it happened that Lazarus fell ill, and, of course, 
the first thought of his sisters was to send word to Jesus. 
" Lord, behold he whom Thou lovest is sick ! " 
This was the message. No mention that the danger 
was great, no prayer that He would come quickly. 
What need for this ? He who hastened when a stranger 
called Him, what would He not do for them! The 
sick man grew worse and they saw the end must come 
even before their messenger could reach the Master 
who was across the Jordan in Perea. But what of 
that! He knew it all before, and no doubt was even 
now on His way to them. So, whilst one cat by the 
deathbed, the other from the roof watched the road for 
the first sign of His approach. 



JESUS OF STAZABETH. 291 

But He did not come, and Lazarus died. Up to the 
last moment they had hoped, and each time the door 
opened they had turned to welcome their Lord. Now 
all was over, and, when that same day, having left 
their dearly loved brother in his cave sepulchre, they 
returned to the desolate home, who shall tell the an- 
guish of their hearts! 

During the days of mourning they sat upon the 
ground, their heads veiled, their feet bare, silent and 
lonely amid the lamentations of the hired mourners 
and the noise of friends and comforters coming and 
going. If Jesus is not our Comforter in trouble we are 
exceedingly sad and desolate as were these poor sis- 
ters. People meaning to be kind expressed surprise 
at His absence, thought He was such a Friend of theirs 
who would have been the first to hasten to them in their 
distress, but> of course, He did not know how ill Laza- 
rus was. Every word was agony to the mourners. 
And they could say nothing in reply. It was indeed 
strange. But they struggled bravely with temptation 
and would not let His absence or His silence shake their 
trust in Him. Then their messenger returned, saying 
that on hearing of their trouble the Master had merely 
said the sickness was not unto death, and had turned 
again to His teaching. They heard and bore their 
anguish in silence, and trusted still. 

Now, why did our Lord try them so sorely? The 
words of St. John sound strange to us : " Now Jesus 
loved Martha and her sister Mary and Lazarus. When 
He had heard, therefore, that he was sick, He still re- 
mained in the same place two days/' God's ways are 
not like ours. But His ways are always best, as we 
shall see clearly some day. 



292 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

After two days our Lord said to His disciples : " Let 
us go into Judea again." 

The disciples said to Him : " Rabbi, the Jews but 
now sought to stone Thee, and goest Thou thither 
again % " 

Jesus said to them : " Lazarus, our friend, sleepeth, 
but I go that I may awake him out of sleep." 

His disciples said : " Lord, if he sleep he shall do 
well." 

But Jesus spoke of his death, and they thought He 
spoke of the repose of sleep. 

Then Jesus said to them plainly : " Lazarus is 
dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not 
there, that you may believe. But let us go to him." 

Thomas said to his fellow-disciples : " Let us also 
go that we may die with Him." 

Jesus, therefore, came and found that he had been 
four days already in the grave. And many of the Jews 
were come to Martha and Mary to comfort them con- 
cerning their brother. Martha, therefore, as soon as 
she heard that Jesus was come, went to meet Him, but 
Mary sat at home. 

Martha, therefore, said to Jesus : " Lord, if Thou 
hadst been here, my brother had not died." 

It was not lament, still less complaint, only that 
plaintive word that the sisters had said again and 
again to one another during those days of watching and 
waiting. 

She went on : " But now also I know that what- 
soever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee." 

She asks nothing, but holds up her faith and her 
trust to Him, a silent prayer, to be heard as He shall 
see best. 

Jesus saith to her: " Thy brother shall rise again." 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 293 

Martha saith to Him : " I know that he shall rise 
again in the resurrection at the last day." 

Jesus said to her : " I am the resurrection and the 
life ; he that believeth in Me, although he be dead, shall 
live. . . . Believest thou this V 9 

She saith to Him : " Yea, Lord, I have believed 
that Thou art Christ the Son of the living God, who 
art come into this world." 

The grand confession of Csesarea Philippi over 
again ! 

And, when she had said these things, she went and 
called her sister Mary secretly, saying: " The Mas- 
ter is come and calleth for thee." 

She, as soon as she heard this, riseth quickly and 
cometh to Him. The Jews, therefore, who were with 
her in the house and comforted her, when they saw 
Mary that she rose up speedily and went out, followed 
her, saying: " She goeth to the grave to weep there." 

When Mary, therefore, was come where Jesus was, 
seeing Him, she fell down at His feet and saith to Him : 
" Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not 
died." 

Jesus, therefore, when Lie saw her weeping, and the 
Jews that were come with her weeping, groaned in the 
spirit, and troubled Himself, and said : " Where have 
you laid him ? " 

They say to Him: " Lord, come and see." 

And Jesus wept. 

The Jews, therefore, said: "Behold how He loved 
him." 

But some of them said : " Could not He that opened 
the eyes of the man born blind have caused that this 
man should not die ? " 

Jesus, therefore, again groaning in Himself, cometh 



294 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

to the sepulchre. Now it was a cave, and a stone was 
laid over it. 

Jesus saith : " Take away the stone." 

Martha saith to Him : " Lord, by this time he 
stinketh, for he is now of four days." 

Jesus saith to her: " Did not I say to thee that if 
thou believe thou shalt see the glory of God ? " 

They took, therefore, the stone away. 

And Jesus, lifting up His eyes, said : " Father, I 
give Thee thanks that Thou hast heard Me. And I 
know that Thou heareth Me always, but because of the 
people that stand about have I said it, that they may 
believe that Thou hast sent Me." 

When He had said these things, He cried with a loud 
voice : " Lazarus, come forth." 

And, presently, he that had been dead came forth, 
bound feet and hands with winding-bands, and his face 
was bound about with a napkin. 

Jesus said to them: " Loose him and let him go." 

Many, therefore, of the Jews who were come to Mary 
and Martha, and had seen the things that Jesus did, be- 
lieved in Him. 

We have had the account of this wondrous scene in 
the words of St. John who saw it. He does not go on 
to tell us what followed — of the trembling hands that 
unloosed the graveclothes, of the awe and the thankful- 
ness with which the sisters and their brother fell at the 
feet of Jesus. But he says that some who witnessed 
that stupendous miracle went to the Pharisees and told 
them the things that Jesus had done, and that the chief 
priests and the Pharisees gathered a council of the San- 
hedrists and said: 

" What do we, for this Man doth many miracles ? 



iil-^aj^fe 








IB 

1 ; .; ; .;„^#< ';* ? 5l^t: 1 ; 












^^^^fi ' *-*'* : :• •" 




'-•.'. ■ 1: : ^4M'-" Pill 




* , *' - 


^^^^^^f^.^-/" - ;' ^: .' -;|'^ ;_^ Sftllliil 





THE PRAYER IN THE GARDEN. 
Not my will, but thine be done." — Luke 22. 42. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 297 

If we let Him alone so all men will believe in Him, 
and the Romans will come and take away our place and 
nation." 

But Caiaphas, being the High Priest of that year, 
said to them : " You know nothing, neither do you 
consider that it is expedient for you that one man 
should die for the people, and that the whole nation 
perish not." 

From that day, therefore, they devised to put Him 
to death. Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly 
among the Jews, but went to a city called Ephrem, 
and there abode with His disciples till the time came 
for His final journey to Jerusalem. 

He can do no more. He has filled the land with 
the " signs " demanded of Him. He has fulfilled the 
prophecies and proved Himself the Promised One who 
was to be sent. It only remains for Him to show Him- 
self the Man of Sorrows, foretold by the prophets, and, 
as the High Priest had prophesied — to die for the 
people. 



XXXVI. 

THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 

At last His hour was come. It was time to go up 
to Jerusalem for the offering of the Great Sacrifice. 

Before setting out, He took the disciples apart and 
said to them: 

" Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of 
Man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and the 
scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and 
shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked, and 
scourged, and crucified, and the third day He shall 
rise again." 

St. Luke tells us that " they understood none of 
these things." Accustomed to see Him followed by ad- 
miring crowds, untouched by the hands raised to stone 
Him, and by the officers sent to make Him prisoner, 
they would not believe that harm could come to Him. 
On the contrary, they thought He was going up to Jeru- 
salem to take possession of His throne and begin His 
glorious reign as the Messiah-King. He had promised 
them that they too should sit on thrones. It was time 
to remind Him of this and to secure the first places in 
the new Kingdom. So at least thought James and 
John. They slipped away from the rest and returned 
presently with their mother, who came with them to 
our Lord, adoring and asking something of Him: 

" Master," they said, " we desire that whatsoever we 
shall ask Thou wouldst do it for us." 

" What would you that I should do for you ?" He re- 
plied. 



JESUS OF tfAZAKETH. 299 

" Grant to us that we may sit, the one on Thy right 
hand and the other on Thy left in Thy glory." 

What a time for such a petition! When He had 
scarcely finished speaking of His bitter sufferings that 
were at hand — then to come begging for honours ! Yet 
their gentle Master did not reproach them. 

" You know not what you ask/' He said. " Can 
you drink of the chalice that I drink of ? " 

They said to Him: " We can." 

He said to them : "Of My chalice indeed you shall 
drink, but to sit on My right hand or on My left is 
not Mine to give to you, but for them for whom it is 
prepared by My Father." 

And the ten hearing it began to be much displeased 
with James and John. Jesus called them all round 
Him and told them that in His Kingdom those who 
want to be first must make themselves the servants of 
the rest. This settled the dispute for the time. He 
knew the day would come when, by the grace of His 
Holy Spirit, these jealousies, quarrels and desires of 
earthly greatness would cease — and He waited. 

On His way to Jerusalem our Lord was accompanied 
by a multitude of pilgrims going up for the Pasch, and 
as they approached Jericho the crowd around Him be- 
came enormous. Past the gardens of roses, for which 
the city was famous, past the orchards of figs and dates, 
it moved slowly along till He suddenly stopped beneath 
a sycamore tree growing by the wayside, and looked 
up. The crowd came to a standstill. Zaccheus, the 
chief of the tax gatherers, had climbed up there be- 
cause he wanted to see Jesus, who, he had been told, 
was the Friend of publicans and sinners. He was 
too short to see over the shoulders of others, and no one 



300 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

would make way for him. He had made himself rich 
at the expense of his fellow-countrymen and in the 
service of the Romans, and, therefore, was hated and 
despised by all. But he was determined to see Jesus, 
and, without minding the laughter of the passers by, had 
climbed up into the tree beneath which the Lord must 
pass. What was his astonishment to see Him stop, look 
up, and call him by his name : 

" Zaccheus, make haste and come down, for this day 
I must abide in thy house." 

His house ! the house of a publican ! He of all that 
crowd to have the honour of entertaining the Master! 
" He made haste and came down," says St. Luke, " and 
received Him with joy. And, when all saw it, they 
murmured, saying that He was gone to be a guest with 
a man that was a sinner." Zaccheus took the harsh 
judgment humbly; his heart was too full of gladness 
to mind it, and he was ready to pay any price for the 
favour shown him. He came and stood before our 
Lord to make his confession and purpose of amendment 
and satisfaction: 

" Behold, Lord," he said, " the half of my goods I 
give to the poor, and if I have wronged any man of 
anything, I restore him fourfold." 

Jesus said to him : " This day is salvation come to 
this house. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to 
save that which was lost." 

Llere was the absolution. 

Next morning our Lord set out again on His way, 
" a very great multitude " going before, following, 
thronging Him as before. 

Blind Bartimeus, the beggar, sat by the wayside, and, 
hearing the tramping past of many feet, he asked what 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 301 

it meant, and was told that Jestis of Nazareth was pass- 
ing by. An intense desire to recover his sight sprang 
up within him: 

" Jesus, Son of David/' he cried, " have mercy on 
me!" 

And many rebuked him that he might hold his peace, 
but he cried a great deal more : " Son of David, have 
mercy on me ! " 

And Jesus standing still commanded him to be called. 
The people were kinder then : "Be of better comfort," 
they said, " arise, He calleth thee." 

He leaped up, cast aside his outer garment that 
he might move the faster, flung out his arms for 
some one to lead him. And, trembling with hope, 
came and fell down at our Lord's feet, his hands 
clasped, his sightless eyes lifted to the face of Jesus. 

" What wilt thou that I do for thee ? " Jesus asked. 

" Eabboni, that I may see ! " 

" Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole." 

And immediately he saw and followed Him in the 
way glorifying God. And all the people, when they 
saw it, gave praise to Ged. 

Accompanied by the crowd, our Lord went on to 
Bethany, where He arrived on Friday, " six days be- 
fore the Passover," says St. John, for Thursday, when 
the Paschal lamb was slain, was regarded as the first 
day of the Festival. With the Twelve He went to the 
house of His friends, leaving the multitude to go on 
to Jerusalem. The excitement there was intense, both 
among rulers and people, for the chief priests had now 
given commandment that if anyone knew where Jesus 
of Nazareth was he was to tell them, that they might 
apprehend Him, On every side inquiries were being 



302 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

made for Him. Standing in the Temple men said to 
one another: 

" What think you that He has not come to the fes- 
tival day % " 

Presently word was brought by the crowds from 
Jericho that He was at Bethany. At once a great 
multitude flocked out there, not for Jesus' sake only, 
but that they might see Lazarus whom He had raised 
from the dead. Numbers came back believing in Him. 
Enraged beyond measure at the enthusiasm spread- 
ing on every side, the chief priests thought of killing 
Lazarus also. From this time forward it is these 
priests who take the lead in all the plots for bringing 
our Lord to death. The people, in Galilee especially, 
believed in Him, but the rulers — the Scribes and Phari- 
sess, the ancients, the wealthy Sadducees, the Hero- 
dians, the Sanhedrin, and the priests, who had been 
against Him from the first, were only hardened by His 
miracles. The resurrection of Lazarus at the very 
gates of Jerusalem brought their fury to a climax. But 
nothing could be done as long as He had these huge 
crowds as a bodyguard. His reputation, then, must be 
destroyed and the people turned against Him. 

In and out, then, among the crowds went the rulers 
stirring the people up against Jesus of Nazareth, de- 
claring in words of fierce indignation that He was a 
blasphemer, who gave Himself out to be the Son of 
God, a friend of publicans and sinners, an impostor 
who pretended to be the Messiah, and would get them 
all into dreadful trouble with the Romans, as other im- 
postors had done, a dealer with the Evil One, by whose 
help He cast out devils. The people were puzzled; 
they saw that all the respectable part of the nation wa3 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 303 

against Him; they were terrified of the Homans, and 
they began to waver. 

This was the state of things in Jerusalem. 

On Friday and Saturday our Lord remained quietly 
with His friends at Bethany. They were always glad 
to have Him under their roof, and now more than 
ever when others whom He had loved and comforted 
were afraid to harbour Him or show Him gratitude. 

On Saturday evening He was at the house of Simon 
the Leper, in the same place, and St. John says they 
made Him a supper there. It was a wealthy home, 
and everything provided was of the best. Our Lord 
was in the place of honour, and, as the guests reclined 
round the tables, every eye turned in wonder and ad- 
miration to the calm face of Him who lay there upon 
His couch, so grave yet so attractive, the Man whom the 
rulers were hunting to His death. Beside Him was 
His friend Lazarus, whom He had raised from the 
dead. The presence of those two made the supper a 
time of solemn thought; the guests spoke quietly, noise 
and merriment were felt to be out of place. 

Martha did the honours and served, more quietly 
than once before, but eager still, delighted to be near 
our Lord, to show reverence to Him and His, waiting 
on the disciples herself that their awkward ways might 
pass unnoticed, and by her kindness and heartiness 
making them feel at home. 

During the supper Mary came in carrying in an 
alabaster box a pound of ointment of right spikenard. 
She anointed the feet of Jesus as before and wiped 
them with her hair, and, breaking the box, poured 
it out upon His head, and the house was filled with 
the fragrance of the ointment. At this Judas, usually 



304 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

so cautious and silent, could not conceal his vexation, 
and, unmindful both of the reverence due to his Mas- 
ter and of what was becoming in a guest, called out : 

" Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred 
pence and given to the poor ? " 

" Now he said this," says St. John, " not because 
he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and, 
having the purse, carried the things that were put 
therein." The other disciples, some of them at least, 
followed his example, and, filled with indignation, 
said: 

" To what purpose is this waste % " 

" Let her alone, why do you molest her ? " said our 
Lord. " She hath wrought a good work upon Me. 
For the poor you have always with you, and whenso- 
ever you will you may do them good, but Me you have 
not always. What she had she hath done; she is come 
beforehand to anoint My body for the burial. Amen 
I say to you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached 
in the whole world, that also which she hath done shall 
be told for a memory of her." 




THE CROWN OF THORNS. 

"And platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon His 

head." — Matt. 27. 29. 



XXXVII. 

JERUSALEM ! " 

We have come to the last week of our Lord's Life. 
The Evangelists could not set down all the wonders of 
that Life, for St. John tells us every day was filled with 
marvels. But when they come to this last week they 
follow their Lord, as it were, with slower and more 
reverent step, giving a fuller and more minute ac- 
count of His actions day by day. 

There are many reasons for this. It is not only 
that in this week He accomplished the great work He 
came to do; redeemed us from sin and hell; recon- 
ciled us with His Father; opened the gates of Heaven 
to us, and set up the New Law, the New Sacraments, 
the New Priesthood in place of the Old; but it is 
because in this week the tenderness of His love comes 
out more wonderfully than ever. His words and acts 
and prayers are so brimming over with love and sweet- 
ness that the Evangelists could not bear to pass them 
over in silence. We owe these blessed writers more 
for their account of this week than for all beside. And 
we should come to the history of these last days of our 
dear Lord's Life on earth with hearts more reverent, 
more full of love and gratitude than hitherto, that we 
may believe and understand and feel about them as is 
pleasing to Him and helpful to our own souls. 

The day after the supper in Simon's house was 
chosen by Christ for His solemn entry into the City 
in which such great things were to be done. Accom- 
panied by the Twelve and by a crowd going up for the 

307 



308 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Feast, He left Bethany. When they had reached 
Bethphage, a village on the eastern slope of Olivet, 
He sent two of His disciples, saying to them : 

" Go ye into the village that is over against you, 
and immediately you shall find an ass tied and a colt 
with her, on which no man hath ever sitten; loose 
them and bring them to Me. And if any man shall 
say anything to you, say ye that the Lord hath need of 
them, and forthwith he will let them go." 

" Eow all this was done," says St. Matthew, " that 
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet 
saying: " Tell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold, thy 
King cometh to thee meek, and sitting on an ass,, and 
a colt, the foal of her that is used to the yoke." Every 
prophecy concerning Him was clearly before the mind 
of our Blessed Saviour, and, at the proper time, He 
fulfilled each even to its smallest circumstances. This 
exact fulfilment of prophecy was one of the marks by 
which the Jews ought to have known Him to be the 
Messiah, but they would not notice what they did not 
want to see. 

The disciples found the colt and its mother tied to 
the gate just as Jesus had said, and they began to loose 
them. 

" What are you doing loosing the colt ? " cried out 
the owners. 

They answered as Jesus had told them, and the 
owners let the animals go. 

The disciples brought them to Jesus and laid their 
long cloaks upon the colt by way of trappings, and He 
sat upon it. The procession formed about Him and 
began its march, the solemn entry of the Messiah-King 
into His capital, solemn and yet so humble, the King 
riding on a little creature not yet broken in, and fol- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 309 

lowed, not by the royal guards, but by a joyous throng, 
men, women, and children, chiefly the poor, who 
crowded round Him and filled the air with their shouts 
of gladness. "A very great multitude/' we are told, 
" spread their garments in the way, and others cut 
boughs from the trees and strewed them in the way." 

When, following the steep footpath . up the Mount, 
they had reached the summit, they halted, for another 
multitude from Jerusalem was making its way up the 
western slope. ISTews had spread through the City that 
Jesus of Nazareth, who had raised Lazarus to life, was 
on His way thither, and the people were pouring out 
to meet Him and take Him back in triumph. The two 
multitudes met and mingled at that point of the road 
from which the City first bursts full on the view. Jeru- 
salem in all its majesty appeared beneath, and at the 
sight the whole concourse of His disciples, they that 
went before and they that followed, began with joy to 
praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works 
they had seen, saying: 

" Blessed be the King who cometh in the name of 
the Lord, peace in Heaven and glory on high! Ho- 
sanna to the Son of David ! Blessed be the Kingdom of 
our father David that cometh, Hosanna in the highest !" 

There were some Pharisees in the vast procession, 
and at their old occupation of faultfinding. Having 
tried in vain to stop the shouts of joy, they made their 
way up to our Lord and said to Him : 

" Master, rebuke Thy disciples." 

He said to them : "I say to you that if these shall 
hold their peace, the stones will cry out." 

The disciples were beside themselves with delight. 
" It has come at last ! " they said to one another as 
they walked proudly by their Master's side. And right 



310 JESUS OF NAZABETH. 

heartily did they wave their palms and join in the 
cry: 

" Blessed he the Kingdom of our father David that 
cometh, Hosanna in the highest ! " 

There, on the summit of Olivet, stood the procession 
facing the City. Palaces, towers, battlements, gardens, 
lay bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun ; and, 
towering above all, appeared the snowy marble and 
glittering gold of the gorgeous Temple, the pride and 
the joy of every child of Israel. The people were 
bringing her King, her long-expected Messiah, to Jeru- 
salem, and at the sight of the City rising there in all 
her glory, their joyous shouts broke out afresh. 

And the King Himself — how did He look upon 
Jerusalem ? 

St. Luke tells us: "And when He drew near the 
City He wept over it, saying: 

" If thou also hadst known and that in this thy day 
the things that are to thy peace! but now they are 
hidden from thy eyes. For the days shall come upon 
thee, and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, 
and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every 
side, and beat thee flat to the ground and thy children 
who are in thee; and they shall not leave in thee a 
stone upon a stone, because thou hast not known the 
time of thy visitation." 

He knew what was coming — that in five days He 
would be hanging in agony on a cross outside the walls, 
forsaken by all. But it was not this that brought the 
tears to His eyes. It was the misery of the guilty 
City that was about to reject Him and pray that His 
Blood might be upon her and upon her children. He 
looked forward forty years and thought of the horrors 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 311 

of that awful siege when, at just such a Pasch as this, 
the Roman army would close round the walls and the 
starving millions within; when the Temple would be 
burnt to the ground; when there would not be wood 
enough for the numbers to be crucified, nor purchasers 
for the thousands sold into slavery. He knew what was 
coming upon poor Jerusalem, and His tears were for her. 

Amid cries of joy and waving of branches, the chil- 
dren running on before shouting " Hosanna, blessed 
be He that cometh in the name of the Lord ! " He 
entered Jerusalem. And the whole City was moved. 
Men, women and children swarmed on to the roofs and 
out into the streets to ask : 

" Who is this ? " 

Those who were bringing in our Lord answered tri- 
umphantly : 

" This is Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth." 

Under their breath the Pharisees muttered to one 
another : " Do you see that we prevail nothing ? be- 
hold the whole world has gone after Him." 

The crowds dispersed, our Lord dismounted, and 
followed by the Twelve entered the Temple. Let us 
see Him going in at the Beautiful Gate. 

His form is slender and delicate. His hair falls 
over His shoulders beneath the handkerchief that binds 
His brow and covers the back of His neck. Over the 
tunic, a long robe girt in at the waist, is a wide cloak, 
or abba, blue bordered and tasselled at the corners. It 
falls over one shoulder, reaching nearly to the bottom of 
the tunic. The sandals, much worn, are merely soles 
strapped to the feet. Everything is simple, poor, 
travel-stained. Yet He is truly kingly as He moves 
forward among the throng. In His look, His bearing, 
His gestures, there is a marvellous mingling of majesty 



312 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

and humility. The charm of His Person, the graeious- 
ness of His ways, captivates the people and attracts 
even the little children, who crowd about Him. Yet 
those who love Him most worship Him with deepest 
awe. Never have men felt as they feel in the Presence 
of this Man. And no wonder, for He is not only 
truly Man — He is God! 

Still singing " Hosanna ! " which means " Save 
now ! " the children followed Him into the Temple. 
They called upon the Levite children of the Temple 
choir to join them, and presently there rose up from 
the marble Court into the blue sky overhead the ex- 
quisite voices of the little choristers, welcoming our 
Blessed Lord in the Hallel, or hymn of praise they 
had ready for the Messiah's coming. The priests and 
the rulers disowned Him, but the children received Him 
with songs of gladness. Sweeter far and more pleas- 
ing to God than all the solemn chants of the Temple's 
magnificent worship, was that afternoon's Benediction 
service of the little children. 

He needed their comfort, for His Heart was sad- 
dened by the same sights and sounds that had dis- 
honoured His Father's House three years before. Up 
from the Court of the Gentiles came the cries of 
traders, the bleating of sheep, the wrangling of the 
money-changers — all the noise of a market, and a 
greater uproar than usual, for on this day the Paschal 
lamb was chosen, to be kept apart till the hour of sac- 
rifice. 

Our Lord said nothing. He had come to the Temple 
to offer Himself as the Lamb chosen from all eternity 
for sacrifice, and He would spend these last peaceful 
hours in the Temple Courts quietly with the children. 



JESUS OF WAZAEETH. 313 



The blind and the lame came to Him and He healed 
them as the children stood around. Then, as evening 
fell, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve. The 
short triumph was over. 'Not one out of those multi- 
tudes who had hailed Him as Messiah in the morning 
had offered Him a shelter for the night. He climbed 
the path down which the procession had passed a few 
hours before, and came to the house at Bethany and was 
welcomed there. 



Early next morning, Monday, on His way to Jeru- 
salem, He saw a fig-tree in the distance. He went up 
to it, for He was hungry. And finding nothing on it 
but leaves, He said to it : " May no fruit grow on 
thee any more for ever. 7 ' Coming into the Temple, 
He found in the Court of the Gentiles the same dis- 
graceful scene as before — oxen, sheep and lambs 
huddled together by thousands, or being dragged hither 
and thither, traders shouting to one another, pilgrims 
from distant countries disputing in many languages 
with the money-changers. 

Suddenly, above the confusion and the din, was 
heard a loud, clear Voice : 

" My House shall be called the House of prayer, but 
you have made it a den of thieves." 

Every head was turned to the Speaker. He stood 
upon a step looking down upon the scene. There was 
no scourge in His hand now; the Divine majesty that 
shone in His human face — this did the work of cleans- 
ing. The birdsellers caught up their cages as best 
they might; the money-changers, the traders of every 
kind, fled before Him, content to drop and lose their 
wares rather than meet the indignation of that glance. 

Not a word had the priests to say in self-defence. 



314 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

It was they who allowed this unholy trading, it was to 
them the profits went. They were stung to the quick 
by being thus disgraced, and consulted together how 
they might destroy Jesus. If only He in His turn 
could be put to shame before the people, their credit 
might be restored. And at last they hit on a plan for 
bringing this about. 

Everyone knew that the scribes, whose task it was to 
interpret the Law, were only ordained after long study, 
and empowered to teach by the delivery of a tablet and 
a key. Now, where had this carpenter of Nazareth 
studied? Let Him answer that and show His tablet 
and key before the people. If He should avoid this 
trap, they had another ready from which it would be 
impossible to escape. Some of the Herodians should 
go up to Him when He was teaching and pretend to 
have a difficulty of conscience about the tribute which 
every Jew had to pay to Caesar. Was it lawful to 
pay it or not? If He said it was not lawful, they 
would at once give Him over to Pontius Pilate and to 
the vengeance of Rome. If He should say it was law- 
ful, the people would turn upon Him as a traitor to 
His country. Now, then, they had Him safe. They 
were so delighted with their scheme that they were im- 
patient for His hour of teaching on the morrow. 

As our Lord with the Twelve came over Olivet on 
Tuesday morning they passed the fig-tree, or rather 
the place where it had stood, for it was withered away 
to the very roots. "And the disciples seeing it won- 
dered," says St. Matthew. Our Lord entered the Tem- 
ple and made His way through the crowd already 
waiting for Him to the Court of the Women, the com- 
mon meeting place of worshippers. He was walking 




ECCO HOMO. 
Behold the man." — John 19. 5. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 



317 



in one of the Porches there when a number of chief 
priests, scribes and ancients were seen advancing. 
They were Sanhedrists, and the people respectfully 
made way before them. Coming up to Jesus, they ad- 
dressed Him in a lofty tone : 

" Tell us by what authority Thou dost these things, 
and who hath given Thee this authority." 

Jesus answering said to them: "I also will ask 
you one word, which, if you shall tell Me, I will also 
tell you by what authority I do these things. " Was 
John the Baptist a prophet sent from God or not V 9 

They were silent and thought within themselves : If 
we say he was a prophet from God He will ask : Why, 
then, did you not believe in Him? If we say he was 
no prophet we are afraid of the people. And they 
said: 

" We know not." 

He said to them : " Neither do I tell you by what 
authority I do these things." 

He went on to tell them a parable of a householder 
who sent servant after servant to the husbandmen in 
charge of his vineyard to receive the fruits from them. 
And the husbandmen beat, and wounded, and killed 
them. Having yet one son most dear to him, He also 
sent him unto them last of all, saying : "I will send 
my beloved son ; it may be when they see him they will 
reverence him." And the husbandmen said : " This 
is the heir, let us kill him and we shall have his in- 
heritance." And, taking him, they cast him forth out 
of the vineyard and killed him. 

After this our Lord told the parable of a king who 
made a marriage for his son, and those who were in- 
vited would not come. So the king gave their places 
to others. His enemies knew that in these parables 



318 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

He spoke of them, and they were filled with rage; but 
the people were there and they could do nothing. 

A party of the Herodians now came up, and one of 
them, bowing low before Him, said : 

" Master, we know that Thou art a true speaker and 
teachest the way of God in truth. Tell us, therefore, 
is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not % " 

But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said : " Why 
do ye tempt Me, ye hyprocrites ? Show Me the coin 
of the tribute." 

And they offered Him a penny. 

Jesus said to them : " Whose image and superscrip- 
tion is this ?" 

They say to Him: " Caesar's." 

He said to them : " Render therefore to Caesar the 
things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are 
God's." 

What could they say ? By their own law he was the 
owner of a country whose image and inscription were 
found on its coins. They were so filled with wonder 
at His answer, that they could neither reply nor hide 
their confusion. The best thing to do was to get away 
as fast as possible. And this they did. 

Thus did His enemies come up one after another, to 
have their plots overthrown as easily as a child's house 
of cards. The people watched Him with admiration. 
They saw Him interrupted continually in His teaching 
by His malignant foes, yet bearing Himself with a royal 
dignity and calmness that neither insult nor cowardly 
cunning could disturb. 

Will the people keep faithful to Him when the hour 
of trial comes ? We shall see. 

Our Lord had borne long and patiently with the 
Pharisees. But, seeing that they were hardening their 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 319 

hearts more and more and doing grievous harm to 
others, He at length pronounced against them those ter- 
rible condemnations which make us tremble as we hear 
them. Again and again came the fearful words : 

" Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees, hyprocrites ! " 

He rebuked their pride, their avarice, their cunning. 
He would still send His servants to teach them and 
warn them of the judgments that were at hand, but they 
would persecute and scourge and crucify them. 

" Jerusalem ! Jerusalem !" He cried, " thou that kill- 
est the prophets and stonest them that are sent to thee, 
how often would I have gathered together thy children 
as the hen gathers her chickens under her wings and 
thou wouldst not. Behold, your house shall be left to 
you desolate. For I say to you you shall not see Me 
henceforth till you say : ' Blessed is He that cometh 
in the name of the Lord.' " 

Leaving the rulers, He went and sat down near the 
Treasury and watched the people dropping their offer- 
ings into the trumpet-shaped chests that stood there. 
Many that were rich cast in much. And there came a 
certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which 
make a farthing. And, calling His disciples together, 
He said to them : 

"Amen, I say to you this poor widow hath cast in 
more than all. For all they did cast in of their abun- 
dance, but she of her want hath cast in all she had, 
even her whole living. " 

He took His final leave of the Temple that Tuesday. 
The disciples, struck by His sadness, followed Him in 
silence down into the valley and across the brook Ced- 
ron and up the slope of Olivet. But He could not leave 
the city without another farewell glance. He loved 
Jerusalem, and His heart was breaking at the thought 



320 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

of what it was, what it might have been, what in a few 
years it was to come to. 

Arrived at the summit of the Mount, He turned and 
faced the City. So beautiful it looked in the quiet 
glow of evening, its massive walls, palaces, terraces, 
the snowy colonnades and golden roofing of the Temple, 
all lit up by the setting sun, that one of the disciples 
said to Him : 

" Master, behold what manner of stones and what 
buildings are here." 

And Jesus answering said to him : " Seest thou all 
these great buildings? There shall not be left a stone 
upon a stone that shall not be thrown down." 

He seated Himself on a ledge of rock facing the 
Temple, and seemed lost in thought. Peter, Andrew, 
James, and John came and asked Him apart : 

" Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall 
be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the 
world?" 

Then He told them what would happen before the 
destruction of Jerusalem and before the Last Day. 
The way to Heaven for His followers would be through 
troubles of every kind. " But he that shall persevere 
to the end," said Jesus, " he shall be saved." 

As the awful Day of Judgment draws near, there 
will be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the 
stars, earthquakes and pestilence and famine, and roar- 
ing of the sea and of the waves, men withering away 
for fear and expectation of what shall come upon the 
whole world. 

And yet, in spite of these signs and terrors, the Great 
Day will come suddenly at last and find men in the 
midst of their enjoyments and sins. Like a flash of 
lightning, seen by all, startling all — so will He come. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 321 

His servants must be always ready, not so much for the 
Last Day of the world as for the day of their death, 
which will be the Last Day for each one of us. He told 
them the parable of the Ten Virgins who had to meet 
the Bridegroom with lighted lamps. And five were 
foolish and took no oil with them. And when at mid- 
night came the sudden cry : " Behold, the Bridegroom 
cometh, go ye forth to meet Him !" they were not ready 
and were shut out. 

" Watch ye, therefore/' He said, " for you know not 
when the lord of the house cometh. And what I say 
to you I say to all : ' Watch ! ' " 

He went on to tell them what will happen at the end 
of the world when He comes to judge all men: 

" They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds 
of Heaven with much power and majesty. And He 
shall send His Angels with a trumpet and a great voice ; 
and they shall gather together His elect from the four 
winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the ut- 
most bounds of them. And all nations shall be gath- 
ered together before Him, and He shall separate them 
one from another as the shepherd separateth the sheep 
from the goats, and He shall set the sheep on His right 
hand, but the goats on His left. 

Then shall the King say to them that shall be on His 
right hand: 

Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess you the 
Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world. 

Then He shall say to them also that shall be on His 
left hand : 

Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire 
which was prepared for the devil and his angels. 

And these shall go into everlasting punishment, but 
the just into life everlasting." 



XXXVIII. 

THE NIGHT IN WHICH HE WAS BETEAYED. 

Our Lord had foretold His Passion again and again, 
but vaguely, naming no time. Now, on the Wednesday 
of this week, He said to the Twelve : 

" You know that after two days shall be the Paseh, 
and the Son of Man shall be delivered up to be cruci- 
fied." 

His enemies, too, were preparing for the end. On 
Wednesday the Sanhedrists met at the house of Caia- 
phas to make their final plans. They dared not take 
Jesus by force nor in the Temple; for this would pro- 
voke the people and draw down their anger upon them- 
selves. If only they could seize Him secretly and get 
the Romans to make away with Him ! 

Whilst they were considering how this could be 
brought about, they were told that a man, one of the 
common sort, craved admittance. He entered with 
signs of profound reverence, having come, he said, in 
obedience to their command that whoever should know 
where Jesus of Nazareth was should declare it to them. 

" What will you give me," he asked, " and I will 
deliver Him unto you ? " He told them that as one of 
His disciples he was constantly with Him, knew His 
secrets, and would be able to do the business for them 
quietly and securely. 

Bad as these men were, and delighted at this unex- 
pected succour, they could scarcely disguise their con- 
tempt for the traitor. They accepted his services, how- 
ever, and for thirty pieces of silver, about $19.50 of 
our money, he agreed to deliver his Master into their 

OQJ) 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 323 

hands as soon as he should find a convenient opportu- 
nity when there was no one about to help Him. Thus 
were the words of the prophet Zacharias fulfilled : "And 
they weighed for my wages thirty pieces of silver, a 
handsome price that I was prized at by them." 

How had Judas come to this ? 

Because of that one evil passion which he did not try 
to conquer. His fall was not sudden. At the time of 
his call he would have been horrified at the thought of 
such a crime. But his heart had hardened gradually, 
and at last, when temptation came, he betrayed and sold 
for a few pieces of silver the Master for whom he had 
left all things. 

Whilst Judas in Jerusalem was plotting with the 
Sanhedrists, our Lord in the quiet home of Bethany 
was preparing His disciples for His coming Passion 
and Death. Probably His Blessed Mother was there, 
too. He had told her what was to happen to Him, and 
though her heart was breaking, she did not try like 
Peter to save Him from suffering and a cruel death, but 
bravely and generously accepted the Will of God. 

On Thursday morning the disciples came to Jesus, 
saying: 

" Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat 
the Pasch ?" 

Judas quietly drew near to hear the answer. 

Jesus said : " Go ye into the city, and there shall 
meet you a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow 
him into the house where he entereth in. And you 
shall say to the good man of the house: The Master 
saith to thee, Where is the guest-chamber where I may 
eat the Pasch with My disciples? And he will show 
you a large dining-room furnished, and there prepare." 



324 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Judas was baffled, but, as keeper of the purse, he 
would probably be sent, and he stood forward ready. 
No, Peter and John were to go, and he was foiled 
again. That Supper Room was to be the scene of ho- 
liest mysteries; our Lord was not going to have them 
disturbed nor the house of His entertainer invaded by 
Judas' armed band. At His own time and in another 
place He would suffer Himself to be taken, and in the 
meantime the traitor was kept in the dark. 

Entering the City, Peter and John see the man with 
the pitcher on his head, and follow him, not without 
difficulty, through the narrow, thronged streets. Jews 
out of every nation under heaven, nearly three millions 
of them, are here — too many by far to be housed within 
the walls, though every house is taxed to its utmost. Late 
comers are camping out on Olivet and all the country 
round as far as Bethany. 

What variety of costume, and what a Babel of 
tongues ! Here, in bright armour, come a body of Ro- 
man soldiers, for the Governor has come from Csesarea 
as usual and taken up his quarters in the Prsetorium. 
And in the fortress of Antonia, overlooking the Temple 
Courts, is a strong garrison of troops ready to swoop 
down upon the people at the least sign of disturbance/ 
the Pasch is wont to be a troublesome time. There go 
some courtly Herodians and wealthy Sadducees and 
despised publicans. Over there, above the heads of 
the crowd, appear the high turbans of rabbis. Priests, 
traders, Gentile strangers, slaves — through what a 
motley throng the two Apostles made their way! 

They have come to a house on Mount Sion in the 
south-western quarter of the City. Here their guide 
stops, and they go in and give their message. The 
owner's face brightens at the first words : " The Master 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 327 

saith," and whilst Peter goes off to buy the lamb, he 
helps John to make everything ready in the upper 
chamber which he puts at our Lord's disposal. The 
Apostles wonder why he is so willing — he is a secret 
disciple, perhaps. 

Peter buys the victim, a lamb without blemish of a 
year old, and takes it to the Temple, where it is killed. 
In preparing it for cooking the greatest care must be 
taken that no bone shall be broken. This lamb is a 
type of Him of whom the prophet had said : " They 
shall not break a bone of Him." Before being roasted 
it is fastened to two pieces of wood, the front feet being 
stretched out in the form of a cross. 

When Peter returns he finds all ready — on the tables 
the thin cakes of unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, 
the wine mixed with water, and a red sauce called 
charoseth. Round the low tables, forming a semi-cir- 
cle, John had so arranged the couches that he would 
be on one side of his Master and Judas on the other, 
at one end of the tables, Peter opposite at the other 
end, the rest in pairs around, as he knew they would 
like. Pitchers of water and basins for washing hands 
were about the room, and the whole was lit up by fes- 
tive lamps. 

As evening drew on Jesus came with the other Apos- 
tles. When they had taken their places He said to 
them: 

" With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with 
you before I suffer." 

Then John, as the youngest present, asked the mean- 
ing of this night's solemn service, and our Lord told 
the story of the deliverance from Egypt, of the sprink- 
ling of the blood of the Paschal Lamb, of the Manna 
in the desert, and of the lifting up of the Brazen Ser- 



328 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

pent, by which their fathers of old were saved from 
death. As He looked upon the lamb stretched cross- 
wise before Him, He thought of the morrow, when, 
after fifteen hundred years of types, the fulfilment 
would come, and the Lamb of God by His Death would 
take away the sins of the world. 

During the Paschal Supper Jesus rose from the table, 
laid aside His upper garment, and, having taken a 
towel, girded Himself. Then, pouring water into a 
basin, He came and knelt before Peter to wash his 
feet. Peter, all amazement, drew them up, exclaiming : 

" Lord, dost Thou wash my feet ?" 

Jesus said to him : " What I do thou knowest not 
now, but thou shalt know hereafter." 

Peter said to Him : " Thou shalt never wash my 
feet." 

Jesus answered him : " If I wash thee not thou shalt 
have no part with Me." 

Peter said to Him : " Lord, not only my feet but also 
my hands and my head." 

Jesus said to him : " He that is washed needeth not 
but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And you are 
clean, but not all." 

Then after He had washed their feet and taken His 
garments, being sat down again, He said to them : 

" Know you what I have done to you ? You call Me 
Master and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If 
then I, being your Lord and Master, have washed your 
feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. Por I 
have given you an example that as I have done to you, 
so you do also." 

Then He said to them sorrowfully: 

"Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you shall betray 
Me." 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 329 

The disciples in consternation looked upon one an- 
other, " doubting of whom He spoke/' says St. John. 
And being very much troubled they began to say to Him 
one by one: 

" Is it I, Lord?" 

And He answering said : " One of the Twelve 
whose hand is with Me on the table, he shall betray 
Me. The Son of Man indeed goeth as it is written of 
Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man 
shall be betrayed; it were better for him if that man 
had not been born." 

Terrified at these awful words, the disciples were 
silent. But presently Judas, afraid of being noticed 
if he did not ask with the rest, said : 

" Is it I, Eabbi ? " 

Jesus answered him in a whisper : " Thou hast 
said it." 

How careful our Lord must have been of the good 
name of Judas_, that not one of his fellow-disciples 
thought of suspecting him. Even now the miserable 
man was not afraid of his Master betraying him, or 
he would never have dared to put that question. What 
would have happened if Peter or the sons of Zebedee 
had heard those words : " Thou hast said it ? " 

The Heart of Jesus was wrung with anguish at the 
thought of the misery to which one of His chosen 
Twelve was rushing. Again and again during the 
supper He speaks of the betrayal, now in tender, now 
in terrible words, striving by fear when love had failed 
to save him before it is too late. 

But now for a brief space the heavy cloud that over- 
shadowed them all seemed lifted. For, as they looked 
upon the Master, they saw His countenance glow with 



330 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

a love and fervour so intense as to appear transfigured. 
He had cleared a little space in front of Him and taken 
into His holy and venerable hands one of the loaves 
of unleavened bread. And, whilst they looked on in 
wonder, He lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and, giving 
thanks, blessed, and broke, and gave to them, saying: 

" Take ye and eat, this is My Body which is given 
for you. Do this for a commemoration of Me." 

And they received from His hand what He gave — 
His true Body under the appearance of bread. Here, 
then, was the meaning of those mysterious words at 
Capharnaum : " The bread that I will give is My 
flesh for the life of the world." They did not under- 
stand even now, but He had the words of eternal life; 
they believed, and adored. 

During the Paschal supper three cups of wine mixed 
with water were passed round from one guest to 
another. Standing before Jesus was the third cup, 
" the chalice of benediction," which had to be taken 
before the last hymns were sung. Jesus took it into 
His hands, and, giving thanks, blessed it and passed it 
to them, saying: 

" Drink ye all of this. For this is My Blood of 
the ISTew Testament which shall be shed for many unto 
the remission of sins." 

And again they received what He gave them — His 
true Blood under the appearance of wine. They re- 
ceived not more than before, not more than we receive in 
Holy Communion, but under another appearance. And 
because it was Himself whole and entire, together with 
His Body and Blood were His Soul and Divinity, all 
that He has and is. Truly might the Beloved Disci- 
ple say of Jesus, instituting this Sacrament of Love, 
that " having loved His own, who were in the world. 



JESUS OE NAZAEETH. 331 

He loved them unto the end." Love, even such as His, 
can go no further. It is because it has gone so far 
that men refuse to believe. 

The first Mass had been said; the first Consecration 
wrought; the first Communicants fed in the greatest of 
the Sacraments with the true Bread from Heaven; the 
first priests ordained. For Christ, as David had fore- 
told, was to be a Priest, not once only, on Calvary, but 
" for ever," a Priest like Melchisedech, whose offering 
was bread and wine. The [New Sacrifice was to be 
the Sacrifice of the Gentiles, as the prophet Malachy 
had foretold, offered in every land, at every hour, from 
the rising to the setting of the sun, not lessening but 
magnifying the first and bloody Sacrifice from which 
its virtue flows. Where but in the Sacrifice of the 
Mass shall we find these prophecies fulfilled? To 
carry on His office when He was gone, the great High- 
Priest had to ordain other priests, and this He did in 
these words : " Do this in commemoration of Me." 

With bowed heads the first Communicants made 
their thanksgiving. When they looked again into their 
Master's face, the glow of exultation with which He had 
made us the greatest of His gifts had passed away, and 
once more there had settled on His brow the anguish of 
a friend betrayed. Peter could bear the dreadful sus- 
pense no longer. Being directly opposite to John, he 
beckoned to him and said : 

" Who is it of whom H<3 speaketh ? " 

John, leaning back on his couch, was resting his 
head on his Master's breast. He looked up into His 
face and said: 

"Lord, who is it?" 

Jesus answered : " He it is to whom I shall reach 
bread dipped." 
18 



332 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

And when He had moistened the bread, He gave it 
to Judas Iscariot. Then, seeing every warning lost on 
the traitor, He said to him: 

" What thou doest do quickly." 

No one at the table, St. John tells us, knew why 
this was said. They thought our Lord had sent Judas 
to buy something, or to give an alms to the poor. 
Judas at once rose and went out. And it was night. 

The white light of the Paschal moon shone into the 
room and fell full on the Master's face. It was pale 
and troubled. And its trouble was reflected on all the 
faces round. The disciples were so accustomed to lean 
on Him, to cast all their care on Him, that they could 
only see with blank dismay the cloud upon that brow 
hitherto serene in every storm. A dim apprehension 
of coming sorrow, of parting from Him who was all in 
all to them, weighed heavily on them, and they looked 
at Him helplessly for comfort. 

He did not disappoint them. Never before had His 
words been so tender : 

" Little children," He said, looking round upon 
them, " yet a little while I am with you. You shall 
seek Me, but whither I go you cannot come." 

Peter said to Him : " Lord, whither goest Thou ? " 

Jesus answered : " Whither I go thou canst not 
follow Me now, but thou shalt follow hereafter." 

Peter said to Him : " Why cannot I follow Thee 
now ? I will lay down my life for Thee." 

Jesus answered him : " Wilt thou lay down thy 
life for Me ? Amen, amen, I say to thee, the cock shall 
not crow till thou deny Me thrice." 

Peter deny his Master! The disciples were as- 
tonished. Of all the surprises to-night this was the 
greatest. But, if Peter is to fall away, some one 



JESUS OF NAZABETH. 333 

else must be first. Who will it be % And at once they 
begin the old dispute — which of them is the greatest. 
But Peter, in spite of his fall, was not to lose the place 
to which his Master had raised him. 

Our Lord went on : " Simon, Simon, behold Satan 
hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat ; 
but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, and 
thou being once converted confirm thy brethren." 

Peter said to Him : " Lord, I am ready to go with 
Thee both to prison and to death." 

And He said : " I say to thee, Peter, the cock shall 
not crow this day till thou thrice deniest that thou 
knowest Me." 

Every act, every word of our Blessed Lord's at the 
Last Supper speaks of love. Lie is taking leave of His 
dearly beloved disciples. He is giving them His fare- 
well instructions. And now He gives them that Com- 
mandment which, because it is so dear to His Heart, 
He calls His own. 

a A new commandment I give you that you love one 
another. This is My commandment that you love one 
another as I have loved you. By this shall all men 
know that you are My disciples, if you have love one 
for another. Let not your heart be troubled. I go 
to prepare a place for you. And I will come again and 
will take you to Myself, that where I am you also may 
be. And I will ask the Father to give you another 
Comforter. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give 
unto you. You now indeed have sorrow, but I will 
see you again and your heart shall rejoice, and your 
joy no man shall take from you." 

Then, lifting up His eyes to Heaven, He prayed for 
them to His Father that they might be kept safe amid 
the dangers of the world, and that where He was going 



334 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

they too might come and be with Him. After this 
they said a hymn and went out. It was late, but the 
moon was flooding the City with light. The Temple 
roof was one sheet of silver. They crossed the brook 
Cedron, and began to go up the Mount of Olives. 

And Jesus said to them: " You will all be scan- 
dalized in Me this night, for it is written : ' I will 
strike the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered.' 
But after I shall be risen again, I will go before you 
into Galilee." 

Peter said to Him: " Although all shall be scan- 
dalized in Thee, yet not I." 

Jesus said to him: "Amen, amen, I say to thee, 
to-day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, 
thou shalt deny Me thrice." 

But he spoke the more vehemently: "Although I 
should die together with Thee, I will not deny Thee." 

And in like manner also said they all." 

A few paces above the brook was a garden called 
Gethsemane. It was a quiet place, and our Lord often 
went there to pray; sometimes He spent the whole 
night in prayer beneath the olive trees. On this night 
He left eight of the Apostles at the gate, and took 
inside only Peter, James and John. 

" My soul is sorrowful even unto death," He said 
to these three, and He begged them like good and faith- 
ful friends not to leave Him alone in His trouble, but 
to watch and pray with Him. 

Bright moonlight lit up the Garden, but beneath the 
trees all was dark and gloomy. Our Lord went for- 
ward alone and knelt down. Presently He fell on His 
face and prayed in an agony of terror that He might 
be spared the awful sufferings that were at hand. 




THE CRUCIFIXION. 

Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And saying 
this, He gave up the ghost." — Luke 23. 46. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 337 

"Abba, Father," He said, " all things are possible 
to Thee; remove this chalice from Me; but not what 
I will, but what Thou wilt." 

He had offered Himself to take away the sins of the 
world, and now they all came distinctly before Him, 
every sin and every sinner. And He was to be pun- 
ished as if He had done all those wicked things. He 
saw the punishment — the spitting, the scourging, the 
nailing to the cross, the hanging there for three long 
hours. He saw, too, that all He was going to suffer 
would be of no use to many souls that He loved. 

The pain of all this was so dreadful that He went to 
His three disciples to get a little comfort from them. 
But they were asleep! Gently waking them, He said 
to Peter : 

" What ! Could you not watch one hour with Me ? 
Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." 

Again He went and prayed saying the same words! 
His trouble of mind became so awful that it was like the 
agony of a dying man. He was bathed in a sweat of 
blood, which, after soaking His garments, trickled 
down upon the ground. Then an Angel came from 
Heaven to comfort Him by showing Him the good that 
from His bitter pains would come to us. And He 
said: 

" My Father, if this chalice cannot pass away un- 
less I drink it, Thy Will be done." 

He did not give up prayer on this dreadful night, 
but taught us by His example to pray more earnestly 
when we are in trouble ; for " being in an agony He 
prayed the longer." 

About midnight lights appeared behind the trees, 
and our Lord went to rouse His disciples, who had 
fallen asleep again. 



338 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

" Rise/' He said, " behold, he that will betray Me is 
at hand." 

A band of soldiers and servants from the chief 
priests, with lanterns, torches and weapons, were com- 
ing stealthily into the Garden, led by a man who looked 
about here and there as if in search of someone. He 
had given the party a sign, saying: " Whomsoever I 
shall kiss, that is He; lay hold on Him and lead Him 
away carefully." And, going up to Jesus, he said: 
" Hail, Rabbi !" and kissed Him. 
Jesus said to him : " Friend, whereto art thou 
come? Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with 
a kiss ? " 

It was the last warning — a tender word, and a sol- 
emn one — and both thrown away. 

Then, knowing all things that were to come upon 
Him, He went forward and said to the soldiers : 
" Whom seek ye ? " 
They answered : " Jesus of Nazareth." 
Jesus answered : "I am He." 

As soon as He had said this they went backward — 
Judas, the soldiers, the priests — and fell on their faces 
before Him. He let them rise, and asked again: 
" Whom seek ye % " 

They answered: "Jesus of Nazareth." 
Jesus answered : "I have told you that I am He ; 
if, therefore, you seek Me, let these go their way." 

He pointed to His disciples, and forbade the soldiers 
to touch them. Then His enemies came up and bound 
Him fast. 

" Lord, shall we strike with the sword % " cried Peter. 
And without waiting for an answer, he drew a 
sword he had with him, and striking one of the ser- 
vants of the High-Priest, cut off his right ear. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 339 

But Jesus said : " Put up thy sword into its place. 
The chalice which My Father hath given Me, shall 
I not drink it ? " 

And bending forward, He touched the servant's ear 
and healed him. 

Then the disciples all leaving Him fled away. But 
Peter and John, ashamed of their cowardice, soon re- 
turned and followed their Master as He was led to the 
palace of the High-priest. This was Caiaphas, though 
many of the Jews who would not acknowledge a man 
appointed by the Romans regarded Annas, his father- 
in-law, as the High-priest. The palaces of the two 
were separated by a courtyard only. All was astir 
there when the soldiers arrived with the Prisoner. 
Annas, a cruel and wicked old man, the chief contriver 
of the plots against our Lord, had sent for Him that he 
might enjoy the sight of his enemy now helpless and 
humbled; and at the house of Caiaphas the members 
of the Sanhedrin were arriving for the trial that was 
to be held there immediately. 

Annas questioned our Blessed Lord about His doc- 
trines and His disciples, in the hope of getting Him to 
say something that could be turned against Him. Our 
Lord who saw into his heart bade him ask those who 
had heard His teaching. On this, a servant of Annas, 
thinking to please his Master, struck Jesus a heavy blow 
on the face, saying : 

"Answerest Thou the High-priest so ? " * 

Jesus said gently : " If I have spoken evil, give tes- 
timony of the evil, but if well, why strikest thou Me ? " 

The Sanhedrists were now assembled at the house 
of Oaiaphas, and seated in a semi-circle on cushions, 
Caiaphas, as president, on a platform. Our Lord was 
brought in by His guards and placed standing before 



340 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

His judges for trial. It was a strange trial, for the 
death of the Prisoner was already decreed, and all that 
was wanted was some evidence against Him to give an 
appearance of justice to the sentence. But His life 
had been so holy that there was no hope of finding any- 
thing amiss in it ; false witnesses were therefore brought 
in, but their testimony did not agree. 

Jesus heard all and was silent. The prophet Isaias 
had said of Him : " He shall be dumb as a lamb be- 
fore His shearer, and He shall not open His mouth." 
At length Caiaphas, flushed with anger, rose up and 
exclaimed : 

"Answerest Thou nothing to the things that are laid 
to Thy charge by these men ? " 

But He answered nothing. 

What was to be done ? How could He be made to 
speak ? The crafty president sees a way. He will put 
a question to which the Accused will be bound to 
answer, and on that answer He can be condemned. 

See them standing there face to face — the High- 
priest in his robes of office, the Son of God with His 
hands bound behind His back. 

" I adjure Thee by the Living God," said Caiaphas, 
" that Thou tell us if Thou be the Christ, the Son of 
God." 

Jesus said to him : " Thou hast said it. And, here- 
after, you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right 
hand of the power of God and coming in the clouds of 
Heaven." 

This was all they wanted. Transported, as it were, 
with holy indignation, the High-priest seized His gar- 
ment and tore it from the neck down. 

"He hath blasphemed!" he cried; "behold, you 
have heard the blasphemy ; what think you ? " 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 341 

And they answering said : " He is guilty of death." 
A disgraceful scene of insult and cruelty followed, 
in which the priests themselves seem to have set the 
example. " The men that held Him mocked Him and 
struck Him. And they did spit on His face and buf- 
feted Him. And they blindfolded Him and smote 
His face with the palms of their hands, saying: 

Prophesy unto us, O Christ ! who is he that struck 
Thee?" 

While all this was going on before Annas and Caia- 
phas, another scene was taking place in the courtyard 
below where the servants were waiting to hear the re- 
sult of the trial. The night was cold and they had 
made a fire and were standing round it warming them- 
selves. Peter, who had come into the court, was warm- 
ing himself with the rest. The light was full upon 
his face, and the portress, who had let him in, after 
looking at him attentively, said : 

" Thou also wast with Jesus of jSFazareth." 
Peter was frightened and denied before them all: 
" Woman, I know Him not." 
And the cock crew. 

A little later another maid saw him and said to the 
standers by: 

" This man was with Jesus of jSTazareth." 
Again he denied and with an oath : " I know not 
the Man." 

An oath this time, and his Master is " the Man." 
About an hour after, when it had got about among 
the servants that one of the disciples of the Galilean 
had dared to come in amongst them, they came about 
Peter and said: 



342 JESUS OF KAZAKETH. 

" Surely thou art one of them, for even thy speech 
doth betray thee." 

Even the commoner sort in Jerusalem made fun of 
the pronunciation and talk of the north country folk, 
and Peter had only to open his mouth to prove that 
he was unmistakably from Galilee. Poor Peter, he had 
been getting more and more frightened. Thoroughly 
terrified now, he began to curse and to swear, saying: 

" I know not this Man of whom you speak." 

The cock crew again, and at the same moment our 
Lord passed through the court. He was suffering 
cruelly from the hands of His tormentors, but more 
cruelly from the lips of His chosen disciple who had 
denied Him. Yet there was no indignation in His 
Heart. Rather was It full of pity for one who after 
all had followed Him into danger out of love. 

And the Lord turning looked on Peter. And Peter 
remembered the word that Jesus had said unto him: 
" Before the cock crow twice thou shalt thrice deny 
Me." And, going forth, he wept bitterly. 



XXXIX. 



It was early morning, about four o'clock. Already 
the Sanhedrists were hastening to a second meeting to 
confirm the condemnation passed during the night, 
and to discuss the best means of extorting from the 
Roman Governor the sentence of death which they 
were not allowed to carry out themselves. Being a 
Gentile, Pilate would not take much notice of the 
charge of blasphemy, but his well-known dread of fall- 
ing into disgrace with Csesar could be turned to account. 

By this time it had spread all over the City that 
Jesus of Nazareth had been taken and found guilty of 
death. Everyone was talking of Him. Some were 
surprised that a man who had spent his days in doing 
good should be so persecuted. Others said it had been 
found out that his wonderful works were done by the 
power of the devil. The priests had declared — and 
surely they should know best — that he was a dangerous 
man, who must be got out of the way, or he would bring 
ruin on the nation. 

And what were his feelings who had betrayed Him ? 
Perhaps Judas had persuaded himself that our Lord 
would escape unharmed from His enemies as He had 
often done before. At all events, the tidings that He 
had been condemned to death, and was being taken to 
Pilate that the sentence might be confirmed, filled him 
with unspeakable horror. What could he do to still 
the remorse of conscience that was torturing him? 
People said the priests were even now entering the 
Temple on their way to the Prsetorium. He would 

343 



344: JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

hasten thither and give them hack the hateful pieces 
of silver which had brought him to this. 

A few minutes iater the worshippers in the Temple 
were startled by seeing a wretched-looking man rush 
past them after the priests, who with their Prisoner 
were passing through the Courts. 

" I have sinned/' he cried, " in betraying innocent 
blood," and he held out both hands to them with the 
money. 

They looked at him with contempt. " What is that 
to us ?" they said ; " look thou to it." 

The cruel words filled up the measure of his misery. 
He might have been saved yet had he thrown himself 
at the feet of Jesus, or gone away and wept like Peter. 
But though his heart was full of a fierce hatred of him- 
self, there was no true contrition for his sin, no hope of 
forgiveness. He gave himself up to despair, and, cast- 
ing down the money in the Temple, went into a lonely 
place near the Garden where he had betrayed his Mas- 
ter, and hanged himself. 

The Governor had been told that the chief priests, 
followed by an immense crowd, were bringing Jesus 
of Nazareth to the Prsetorium for judgment, and he 
prepared for one of his stormy interviews with the 
rulers of the people. Pilate disliked and despised the 
Jews, and was severe, often cruel in his dealing with 
them. But he had no prejudice against our Blessed 
Lord, of whom he had heard, not from public report 
alone, but from Claudia Procula, his wife. How she 
had come to hear of the young Teacher from Galilee, 
we are not told, but His gracious words and ways, the 
hatred of the rulers, the dangers that hedged Him 
round, had come to her knowledge, and her heart was 



r+ 


H 


<T> 


a 


'n 


w 


n> 




*o 


bd 
r] 


rr 


*j 




— < 


n 


> 


3 


r 




JESUS OF NAZARETH. 347 

drawn to Him. Whilst He was suffering in the 
Garden, Procula, too, was suffering in a dream on His 
account. Terrified now lest her husband should do 
anything against Him, she determined to follow the 
proceedings as far as possible from one of her apart- 
ments where she could see without being seen. Here, 
at the window, she stood watching with alarm the 
masses of excited people now approaching the Pra> 
torium. 

Knowing that the chief priests were delivering up 
Jesus of Nazareth out of envy, Pilate was resolved to 
hear the cause himself and give the Prisoner a fair 
chance. He therefore gave orders that the priests 
should present themselves before his tribunal. But 
they would not defile themselves at this holy Paschal 
time by crossing the threshold of a Gentile, and the 
Governor had to go out and meet them in the great 
square in front of the Praetorium, called Lithostrotos, 
or the Pavement, from the coloured stones with which 
it was laid. 

" What accusation do you bring against this Man ? " 
he asked. 

They answered haughtily : " If He were not a male- 
factor we would not have delivered Him up to thee." 
And in loud, angry voices they began to accuse Him, 
saying : 

" We have found this man perverting our nation, 
and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and saying 
that He is Christ the King." 

It was something new to Pilate to find this sudden 
zeal for Caesar, and he could not repress a sneering 
smile. But he was not going to condemn a man on no 
better evidence than their word, as they seemed to ex- 



348 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

pect. Serious charges had been brought against Him, 
and Roman justice required that they should be 
seriously examined. He would see the Accused in 
private, and two of his guards were sent out to bring 
our Lord into the hall. 

"Art Thou a King?" inquired the Governor. 

Jesus answered : " Thou say est that I am a King. 
For this was I born and for this came I into the 
world . . but My Kingdom is not of this world." 

It was as Pilate had been informed. The Man was 
no danger to Rome. He had always spoken peace- 
fully to peaceful crowds. If His enemies had any- 
thing against Him, it was on account of some Jewish 
superstition that was beneath his notice. Satisfied, 
therefore, as to His innocence, Pilate brought Him out 
to the people and said: 

" I find no cause in Him." 

The chief priests began to cry out, and to bring 
charge upon charge against Him. 

The Governor waited for His reply. But He 
answered nothing. Pilate was struck by this silence 
and looked well at the Man before him. Never had 
he had to do with so noble a prisoner; never had he 
seen such majesty and serenity, and such contempt of 
death. Wondering exceedingly he said again: 

" I find no cause in this Man." 

But the priests only exclaimed more vehemently: 
" He stirreth up all the people, beginning from Galilee 
to this place." 

Pilate was naturally just. He saw through the ac- 
cusations of the Jews. He knew that our Lord wa3 
innocent of all these crimes, and that He ought to be 
released at once. But Pilate was weak. He was 
afraid- that the Jews might report him to the cruel 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 349 

Emperor Tiberias, and that disgrace, or something 
worse, might befall him if he declared himself openly 
in favour of One who claimed to be a King. He tried 
therefore to strike a middle course, and began the 
wretched shuffling, which was the cause of so much 
shame and agony to our Lord and of such perplexity to 
himself. 

The name Galilee brought up by the priests seemed 
to show a way out of the difficulty. Galilee belonged 
to Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Pasch. Jesus 
of Nazareth as his subject should be tried by him. 
Greatly relieved at having thus shifted the responsi- 
bility on to another, Pilate sent our Lord to Herod, 
and congratulated himself on having brought to a suc- 
cessful conclusion an important and awkward case. 

Herod was as much pleased to see our Lord as Pilate 
was to get rid of Him. For a long time he had wanted 
to get a sight of this extraordinary Man, and to see some 
of the marvels of which he had heard. His oppor- 
tunity had come, for the Prisoner would surely be only 
too glad to gratify him and win his favour. On His 
appearance, therefore, before the courtiers assembled 
as for an entertainment, Herod treated Him with 
respect, showed an interest in His case, and asked Him 
many questions. But He who had answered Pilate 
would not deign to speak to this vicious prince, the 
murderer of St. John the Baptist, the man whom for 
his cunning He had called a " fox." 

Herod's conscience told him the reason of this silence, 
and, provoked at being thus put to shame before his 
court, he took his revenge by mocking his Prisoner. 
He had Him dressed up in a white grament as a fool, 
and in this guise sent Him back to Pilate. 

Now, at last, the persistent efforts of the priests to 



350 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

dishonour Christ before the people were rewarded. The 
crowds that had flocked to Him in the Temple and 
poured out of Jerusalem six days ago to bring Him 
in triumph into the City, the crowds that He had loved 
and taught and healed, turned against Him. As He 
came out of Herod's palace in the fool's garment, He 
was received with hisses, jeers, and all the wonted in- 
sults of an Eastern mob. 

It was an hour or two after Pilate had sent our Lord 
to Herod that He was told the soldiers were bringing 
Him back. The weak, cowardly judge was terribly 
perplexed. He knew what he ought to do, but he was 
afraid. He could not in justice condemn Jesus; he 
dared not release Him. A sudden thought struck him : 
the people might come to his help. There was a cus- 
tom by which they were allowed at the time of the 
Pasch to have any prisoner they should choose released 
to them. They were beginning now to cry out for the 
grant of their annual privilege. Pilate saw his chance. 
He had then in prison a bandit and murderer called 
Barabbas. The people should choose between this man 
and Jesus — the people, not the envious priests, the peo- 
ple who would be terrified to see Barabbas let loose 
again. 

He mounted the platform in the Lithostrotos and 
seated himself in his chair of gold and ivory. His 
soldiers and servants took up their position behind him 
and the Prisoner was again summoned. All around 
was the multitude thronging every part of the en- 
closure. 

" Whom will you that I release to you," cried the 
Governor, " Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ ? " 

At this moment he turned aside to hear a message 
from his wife: 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 351 

" Have thou nothing to do with that just Man, for 
I have suffered many things this day in a dream be- 
cause of Him." 

His Apostles were hiding; His friends in the San- 
hedrin, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea, were 
afraid to plead His cause ; His priests were clamouring 
for His death. One alone in the holy City was found 
to speak for Him — the Gentile woman, who, from her 
splendid apartment, was looking down upon Him with 
reverence and with pity, Claudia Procula, Pilate's 
wife. 

Her words agitated her husband greatly, and con- 
firmed him in his resolution of saving this Just One 
from the fury of His enemies. But what might have 
been done with ease two hours ago was a difficult matter 
now. The chief priests were steadily making way, 
even the few minutes' interruption caused by Procula's 
message had not been lost by them; and when the 
Governor put his question a second time, the people, 
whom they had worked up to a state of frenzy, were 
ready with their reply. 

" Whom will you that I release to you," he cried, 
" Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ ? " 

A shout as of one voice went up : "Away with this 
Man and release unto us Barabbas." 

Astounded and disgusted, Pilate called out : " What 
will you, then, that I do to the King of the Jews ?" 

They cried out : " Crucify Him ! Crucify Him !" 

" Why, what evil hath He done ? " demanded the 
Governor. " I find no cause in Him. I will chastise 
Him, therefore, and let Him go." 

But again rose up that howl : " Crucify Him ! 
Crucify Him!" 

Weary of the struggle, Pilate called for water and 



352 JEStTS OE STAZAKETH. 

washed his hands before the people, saying: "I am 
innocent of the blood of this Just Man, look you to 
it." 

Oh, the awful shout that went up from the whole 
multitude there: 

" His blood be upon us and upon our children ! " 

In vain did the cowardly judge wash his hands, the 
guilt was upon his soul. On him depended the life or 
the death of Jesus Christ. Therefore will all Chris- 
tians to the end of time say in their Creed : " suffered 
under Pontius Pilate." 

The rage of the people was becoming more and more 
ungovernable; they were thirsting like wolves for the 
blood of this innocent Lamb, and now nothing less 
would satisfy them. Again Pilate yielded, and, to 
appease them and save Christ without harming him- 
self, he had recourse to the shameful expedient of 
ordering Him to be scourged. 

Scourging was a punishment so cruel and so degrad- 
ing that it was reserved for slaves. The poor victim 
often died under it, and, in itself, it was far worse 
than death. Trembling with fear, for He was truly 
man, our Lord was fastened by His wrists to a low 
pillar. Then the executioners, standing on a step to 
deal their blows more surely, struck Him unmercifully 
with their horrible iron-spiked lashes, which tore the 
flesh to the very bones. His sacred body was soon one 
wound ; " from the sole of the foot to the top of the 
head there was no soundness therein, wounds and 
bruises and swelling sores," as the prophet had said. 
And not a friendly face anywhere, none of all He 
had healed and comforted to help Him now ! Gasping 
for breath, He sank at last to the ground, but only to 
be dragged off to a fresh torment. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 353 

He had wanted, it was said, to be a King; well, the 
soldiers would have the coronation in their barrack 
room. They tore off His garments, which they had 
put on roughly after the scourging and which clung to 
His wounded body; threw over His shoulders an old, 
scarlet cloak, and put a reed into His hand for a sceptre. 
Then they plaited a crown of hard, sharp thorns, and 
beat it down with sticks upon His head and forehead, 
so that streams of blood trickled through His hair and 
ran down His face. Then they got into line and 
marched before Him, kneeling as they passed, and 
with shouts of laughter and cries of " Hail, King of 
the Jews ! " came up to Him, some spitting on Him, 
some striking Him on the head, all trying who could 
illtreat Him most. 

Our Lord was a king, and He felt, as only a king 
could feel, the shame as well as the pain He had to 
endure. But He sat there bearing all meekly as the 
prophet had foretold : " I have given my body to the 
strikers, I have not turned away my face from them 
that spit upon me." 

Accustomed as he was to cruel sights, Pilate was 
struck with horrror and compassion when our Lord ap- 
peared again before him. The face so beautiful an 
hour ago was quite disfigured, swollen, bruised, be- 
smeared with blood. His limbs trembled, He could 
scarcely stand. The half closed eyes were dim with 
tears and blood. The scourging must have been hor- 
rible, thought the Governor, but at least it has saved 
His life ; a sight so piteous would melt hearts of stone. 
There was a balcony built over the archway that over- 
looked the thronged entrance to the Pr£etorium. Here, 
where He could be seen by all below, Pilate placed our 
Lord, still clothed with the old, red cloak, thrown over 



354 JESUS OF HAZAEETH. 

His bleeding shoulders, His eyes half blind with 
pain. 

" Behold the Man ! " he cried. " I bring Him forth 
to yon that yon may know I find no canse in Him." 

" Crucify Him ! Crucify Him ! " they shouted. 
" He ought to die because He made Himself the Son 
of God." 

" Son of God ! " Pilate was filled with a new and 
terrible fear. Innocent this Man certainly was. But 
what if He were something more, what if He were a 
God ! Never, surely, had man borne himself like this 
Man, with such calm dignity, such invincible patience 
in the midst of torments and shame. He dared not 
leave this awful question unsolved. He must see Him 
again in private. 

" Whence art Thou ? " he asked, when they were 
again alone. But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate, 
offended, said to Him: 

" Speakest Thou not to Me ? Knowest Thou not 
that I have power to crucify Thee and I have power to 
release Thee ? " 

Jesus answered : " Thou shouldst not have any 
power against Me unless it were given thee from 
above." 

It was between ten and eleven o'clock when the poor, 
irresolute judge again appeared with his Prisoner in 
the Lithostrotos. He was greeted with the shout : 

" If thou release this Man, thou art not Caesar's 
friend." 

" Behold your King," was his reply. 

"Away with Him! away with Him!" they shouted. 
" We have no king but Caesar." 

Pilate's courage gave way. He had to choose be- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 357 

tween Csesar and Christ, and to keep Caesar's favour 
" he released unto them him who for murder and sedi- 
tion had been cast into prison, whom they had desired/' 
says St. Luke, " but Jesus he delivered up to their 
will." 

All over the City was heard the howl of triumph with 
which the sentence was received. No time was lost in 
carrying it out, lest Pilate should repent and recall it. 
The cross, already prepared, was brought out, and the 
title Pilate had ordered to be fixed to it : " Jesus of 
Nazareth, King oe the Jews." 

The procession formed and set out in all haste. First 
came on horseback the centurion, whose duty it was to 
preside at the execution and to maintain order in the 
crowd; next a herald bearing the title of the cross and 
proclaiming the crimes of the condemned. Then two 
thieves to be crucified. Last of all, our Lord, weak 
and tottering, yet laden with His heavy cross. On 
each side of Him the soldiers who were to fasten Him 
to the cross and guard Him till death. Running on 
in front, shouting and laughing, children who had sung 
" Hosanna !" six days before. All around and behind, 
an immense multitude hooting and jeering, those near- 
est throwing mud and stones at Him after the fashion 
of an Eastern crowd. 

What a spectacle was Jerusalem that Friday morn- 
ing nineteen hundred years ago ! — a mass of men, wo- 
men, and children choking up every thoroughfare, pour- 
ing along under the arches that cross the narrow road- 
ways, climbing and descending in endless procession 
the steep streets of the hill-built City ; all going the same 
way, all talking excitedly, rejoicing that justice had at 
length overtaken " the seducer " and " blasphemer."' 
Hoofs, windows, doorways, filled with eager sightseers; 



358 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

rabbis and priests hurrying about among the people, 
in a fever of anxiety lest anything should happen to 
prevent the execution. 

The way to Calvary was long and painful, now up 
hill, now down, sometimes a series of steps. Our Lord 
struggled on slowly; three times His little remaining 
strength gave way, and, gasping for breath, He sank 
beneath His load. Fearing He would die before He 
could reach Calvary, the soldiers forced a countryman^ 
Simon of Cyrene, to carry His cross. 

At a street corner was a little group waiting to see 
Him pass — His Blessed Mother with the Beloved Dis- 
ciple, Magdalen, Mary of Cleophas, and Salome. The 
Mother's face would have moved a heart of stone; but 
hearts in Jerusalem were harder than stone that day, 
and there was no more pity for the Mother than for 
the Son. She saw the ladders, the ropes, the cross. 
And then, staggering along, she saw Him coming. 
Their eyes met, and He looked pityingly at her. They 
did not speak, but He strengthened her breaking heart, 
that she might be able to endure to the end. There 
were many hard things to bear on the road to Calvary, 
but to the tender Heart of Jesus the hardest of all was 
the sight of His Mother's face. 

A little further on He stopped to speak to the weeping 
women of Jerusalem. All through His life of hard- 
ship and persecution women were faithful to Him and 
showed Him reverence. A woman's voice from the 
crowd had been raised to bless Him as He preached; 
women ministered to His wants, received Him into 
their houses when all other doors were closed against 
Him, lavished upon Him costly gifts which even His 
own disciples grudged Him. In His hour of need a 
woman's voice alone was raised in His defence. And 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 359 

now, heedless of the rough soldiers and the hooting rab- 
ble, a crowd of women pressed round Him and filled 
the air with their lamentations. What wonder that 
He could not leave them without a parting word! 
But it was a word of solemn warning, for He knew what 
was coming upon them and upon the little ones they car- 
ried in their arms. 

" Daughters of Jerusalem," He said, " weep not for 
Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." 

About twelve o'clock Calvary was reached. It was a 
mound outside the walls, the place of public executions 
— a place of horrors. Our Lord was quite spent. The 
priests who crowded round Him could see He was dy- 
ing. " Quick, quick," they cried, " or it will be too 
late!" And whilst the soldiers kept the ground clear, 
He was thrown down upon the cross and ordered to 
stretch out His arms. His terror was indescribable, 
for He was truly man. Yet He obeyed without a 
word. One strong blow, and a long nail was driven 
through the right hand into the wood. The left arm had 
to be drawn with ropes to the hole drilled for it in the 
cross. Then it too was nailed fast. They dragged 
the feet till the sinews broke and the bones were out of 
joint. The torture was beyond what we can even think. 
Yet it was not able to turn His thoughts from us and 
our needs. He must make haste to appease His Fa- 
ther's anger, aroused by this awful crime, to pray for 
His executioners and for all who have crucified or will 
crucify Him again by sin. 

" Father, forgive them/' He said, " for they know 
not what they do/' 

St. John, who was there, tells us that " when they 
had crucified Him, the soldiers took His garments and 



360 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

made four parts, to every soldier a part, and also His 
coat. Now, the coat was without seam, woven from 
the top throughout. They said then one to another: 
' Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it whose it 
shall be/ that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saying: 
1 They have parted My garments among them, and upon 
My vesture they have cast lots.' And the soldiers in- 
deed did these things." 

Meantime the thieves, shrieking and blaspheming, 
had been crucified, and the three crosses raised into po- 
sition and firmly fixed with wedges driven in all round. 
Then at last the enemies of Jesus were satisfied. The 
priests came up and stood before His cross and cried : 

" Yah ! Thou that destroyest the Temple of God 
and in three days dost rebuild it, save Thy ownself. 
If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross 
and we will believe." 

The people came and stared, blaspheming like their 
rulers. One of the thieves cried out : 

" If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us." 

But the other rebuked him and said : " We, indeed, 
receive the due reward of our deeds, but this Man hath 
done no evil." 

And he said to Jesus: 

" Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into 
Thy Kingdom." 

And Jesus said to him: 

"Amen, I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me 
in Paradise/' 

Our Lord had always loved sinners. And now He 
gave these poor men grace to know that He who shared 
their disgrace and was put between them as the most 
guilty was the long-expected Messiah, the King of 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 361 

Heaven and earth. One of them, alas ! only one, 
opened his heart to grace, was sorry for his sins, took 
his punishment humbly, and, for the simple remem- 
brance which he asked, received the forgiveness of his 
sins and the promise of Heaven in the company of his 
Saviour before the sun had set. 

Sinners first, sinners even before His Mother. But 
His next thought was for her. She was losing all in 
losing Him; He must provide her with a home.. Brave 
and patient she was standing beside His cross, and, 
except for her companions and the centurion and his 
men, almost alone. A strange darkness creeping over 
the heavens had frightened away the crowds ; there was 
room now by the cross; John had brought her up to 
it, and she had taken her stand there beside her Son 
to stay with Him until the end. His eyes were dim- 
ming fast. He could scarcely see. But He turned 
them painfully to her and then to John, and said to 
her: 

" Woman, behold thy son." 

After that He said to John: " Behold thy Mother." 

And from that hour the disciple took her to his own. 
She was given to the Beloved Disciple, and in him to 
all disciples. Mary, the Mother of God, became the 
Mother of us all that day. 

And now there was darkness over the whole earth, 
not that of a dark day, but the darkness of night. Our 
Lord had hung in silence a long time, when, suddenly, 
a loud cry broke from His lips: 

" My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ? " 

How hard it is to understand that cry! We should 

have thought His Heavenly Father would have leaned 



362 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

in tenderest pity over that cruel cross and have filled 
with consolation the soul of His dying Son. It was to 
win back for His Father our perishing souls that He 
had come down from Heaven; all His life through He 
had sought, not His own glory but his Father's; He 
had done everything His Father asked of Him — why 
was He forsaken ? Because He was being treated as a 
sinner. Sinners deserve to be forsaken by God in this 
world and in the next. He would take their place, 
and suffer this most dreadful pain and punishment in 
our stead, that we may know we are never, never for- 
saken by God in this life, no matter how lonely or how 
sinful we may be. 

Of all the pains of crucifixion, the most terrible is 
thirst. It is so awful that the crucified seem to forget 
every other, and, as if there were nothing more to ask, 
beg only of the passers by a drink of water in their in- 
tolerable pain. It is loss of blood that brings this 
thirst. What must His thirst have been after the 
sweat of blood in the Garden, after the scourging, and 
now the draining of His sacred body on the cross ? But 
it was not to get relief that Jesus cried : 

" I thirst" but that David's prophecy of Him might 
be fulfilled : " In My thirst they gave Me vinegar to 
drink." On hearing His cry, a soldier ran, and filled 
a sponge with vinegar from a vessel that stood by, and, 
fixing it on a reed, put it to His mouth. 

And now at last, after three hours of agony, the 
end was come. 

When He had taken the vinegar Jesus said: 

" It is finished." 

All He had come to do was done — the world re- 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 363 

deemed; a perfect example set us in each stage of His 
blessed Life; every prophecy concerning Him accom- 
plished; His Church founded, by which His followers 
in every age were to be taught what He had done for 
them, and how they must save their souls. He had 
spared Himself in nothing; He had sacrificed for our 
sakes, all He could give up — home, friends, reputa- 
tion — He had loved us to the end — all was finished. 

And again, crying with a loud Voice, He said: 
" Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit." 
The eyes closed ; the head fell forward on the breast ; 
the body sank low on the nails — He was dead. 

And the veil of the Temple that hid the Holy of 
Holies from the sight of men was rent from top to 
bottom. And the earth quaked, and the rocks were 
rent, and the graves were opened, and many of the 
bodies of the saints that had slept arose, and, coming- 
out of the tombs after His Resurrection, came into the 
holy City and appeared to many. And the centurion 
and they that were with him watching Jesus, having 
seen the earthquake and the things that were done, were 
sore afraid, saying: 

" Indeed this was the Son of God." 

And all the multitude of them that were come 
together to that sight and saw the things that were done 
returned striking their breasts. 

In vain did the priests try to quiet the people, Jeru- 
salem was beside itself with terror; the rocking earth, 
the opening graves, the midnight darkness at midday — 
all this spoke plainly for Him whose lifeless body hung 
upon the cross. 

There was no question of Feast or holiday. What 



36-t JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

they had done to Jesus of ISTazareth was the one ab- 
sorbing thought. All His goodness and gentleness and 
compassion, His teaching and His healing, came back 
to them ; their cry of long ago : " He hath done all 
things well ; " their cry six days ago : " Hosanna to 
the Son of David ! " their cry of this day : " Crucify 
Him ! Crucify Him ! His blood be upon us and upon 
our children ! " They felt that an awful crime had 
been committed, and a dreadful sense of the anger of 
God enkindled against them weighed upon every heart. 
Meantime evening was drawing on, and the Mother 
on Calvary had seen the last outrage to her Son. Sol- 
diers had broken the legs of the thieves and taken the 
dead bodies away that they might not hang there to 
cast a gloom over the rejoicings of the morrow. When 
they saw that Jesus was already dead they did not 
break His legs, but one of them with a spear opened 
His side and so fulfilled the prophecy of Zacharias: 
" They shall look on Him whom they pierced." * 

She had no grave wherein to lay Him, but God, she 
knew, would provide. And, presently, there came up 
to the cross two men who up to this time had been dis- 
ciples in secret for fear of the Jews. But now, when 
all Jerusalem was in fear, their hearts were filled with 
a new courage, and they had come to give honourable 
burial to their Master. Joseph of Arimathea had been 
boldly to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus, which 
he was going to lay in his own monument in the garden 
close by. !Nicodemiis came with him, and they brought 
fine linen and spices for the burial according to the 
custom of the Jews. Helped by their servants, they 

* Zach. 12. 






THE RESURRECTION. 

" Go to my brethren, and say to them : I ascend to 
my Father and to your Father, to my God and your 
God." — John 20. 17. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 367 

gently took down the sacred Body from the cross and 
laid it on the ground, the head on the Mother's knee. 
The Soul was not there but in Limbo, rejoicing all the 
holy ones from Adam to the good thief, and turning 
that place of weary waiting into a very Heaven. The 
Divinity w T as with the Soul and with the lifeless Body 
too, and both were to be worshipped with the honour 
due to God. 

The preparations for burial had to be hastened, be- 
cause of the Sabbath rest, which would begin when the 
first stars came out. With the help of Magdalen and 
John, Mary swathed Him in the long linen bands, and 
covered the white, disfigured face. Then they formed 
in sad procession and bore Him through the garden 
into the rocky tomb. There they left Him, and, roll- 
ing the great stone to the entrance, went their way. 

As darkness fell for the second time that awful day, 
the disciples left their hiding places and crept back 
one by one to the Upper Chamber on Mount Sion, 
which now became their ordinary place of meeting. 
There they gathered round John to hear all that had 
befallen the Master since they had left Him in the 
Garden. They listened in trouble and in shame, poor 
Peter's tears running fast down his rugged face, all 
sorrowing over their cowardly desertion of their Mas- 
ter, all envying John who had stood by Him to the last. 

Then they talked of the past, of the happy days in 
Galilee, of their nights with Him on the mountain side, 
of His gentle, patient teaching, of His tenderness to 
them at the Supper in this very room. And now all 
was over, and had ended in this ! There was nothing 
more to live for. They remembered how clearly He 
had foretold to them all that had come to pass— the 



368 JESUS OF NAZAKETH. 

betrayal, the scourging, the crucifixion; but not one 
of them called to mind that last word with which He 
always ended : " the third day He shall rise again." 
Far into the night they talked; then, weary and com- 
fortless, broke up the meeting and went back to their 
homes. On the festival day they were together again 
in the same place, going over all anew. Others came 
in, but there was no comfort from any. All was over, 
they said again and again to one another as they 
mourned and wept. 

His friends, then, were weighed down by hopeless 
sorrow. But what about His enemies ? They were 
rejoicing surely? The priests had promised them- 
selves a quiet evening after their anxious day. All 
had gone better than they had dared to hope. Through 
the cowardice of Pilate, insult and torment beyond 
what they could have desired had been heaped upon 
" the seducer," and now He was safely in His grave, 
and all was over. 

But was it ? This, in their hour of triumph, was the 
question they kept asking themselves. The darkness, 
and the earthquake, and the rent veil in the Holy Place, 
were being taken as signs of His innocence and of the 
wrath of God upon His enemies; and not by the com- 
mon people only but by men of note and their fellow- 
councillors in the Sanhedrim Word had been brought 
to them how the centurion and his soldiers had pro- 
claimed the Crucified to be the Son of God, and how 
Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had given Him 
honourable burial. 

Of course they themselves had no further fears. He 
was certainly dead, and His disciples were far too 
timid to give cause for alarm. And yet there was that 
word of His about rebuilding the Temple in three 



JESTTS OP tfAZABETH. 369 

days. What if there should be anything in it ! What 
if anything should happen on the third day ! It would 
be well to guard against such a calamity. No precau- 
tions could be too great to prevent a reappearance which 
would at once mark all His words and works as divine v 
and prove Him to be in very deed what He had given 
Himself out to be. They would make all safe by ap- 
plying to Pilate for a guard until the third day. 

It was the afternoon of the Sabbath when the Gov- 
ernor was told that a party of priests craved an au- 
dience. Tortured by his conscience, and terrified by 
all that had followed upon the Crucifixion, Pilate was 
in no mood to receive visitors, and least of all these 
hateful men who had forced on him the deed of yester- 
day. Very unwillingly he gave orders for their ad- 
mission. 

" Sir/' they said, bowing low before him, " we have 
remembered that that seducer said while he was yet 
alive ; ' After three days I will rise again.' Com- 
mand, therefore, the sepulchre to be guarded until the 
third day, lest perhaps his disciples come and steal 
him away, and say to the people that he is risen from 
the dead, and the last error shall be worse than the 
first." 

" You have a guard, go guard it as you know," was 
the curt reply. And they, delighted to have gained 
their point so easily, departed and made all secure by 
sealing the stone of the Sepulchre and setting four 
Roman soldiers to guard it. 



THE RISEN LIFE 



20 



ti 



XL. 



JESUS CHRIST, YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND THE SAME 



The darkness of that Sabbath night was just giving 
place to day. It was beginning to dawn towards the 
first day of the week. Within the sealed sepulchre all 
was stillness and gloom, The mangled Body in its 
wrappings lay motionless, stiff and cold. 

Suddenly a blaze of glory filled the rocky chamber, 
and in the midst was Jesus, Jesus risen from the dead 
to die no more ! The Soul had returned from Limbo 
and re-entered the Body, and Lie rose, Body and Soul 
reunited for ever, in a majesty and beauty befitting the 
Son of God. 

He was the very same, but oh ! how changed ; all the 
marks of His suffering and humiliation gone, only in 
hands and feet and side five Wounds, not disfiguring, 
but glorifying Him by their dazzling beauty. As He 
rose by Llis own power, so by His own power He left 
the tomb ; no angel rolled back the stone to let Him pass, 
but, with the subtility that belongs to a glorified body, 
He passed through, leaving the guards still sleeping 
and the seal untouched. But the next instant Jerusa- 
lem was shaken to its foundations by a great earth- 
quake, for an Angel of the Lord descended from Hea- 
ven, and, coming, rolled back the stone and sat upon 
it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his 
raiment as snow. And for fear of him the guards were 
struck with terror and became as dead men. 

One, one only of those who believed in Him was 
373 



374 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

preparing to welcome Him back from the grave. She 
who kept all His words, pondering them in her heart, 
held fast the promise : " and the third day He shall 
rise again." She knew He would return to her. She 
was counting the hours all that sad Saturday, and, 
when night fell, she was keeping watch and turning 
continually to the East for the first streaks of the com- 
ing day. We wonder, perhaps, that with hope such 
as hers sorrow could have been so crushing. But, 
whilst her Son was absent and the memory of His suf- 
ferings was allowed to overwhelm her, there could be 
no consolation for that stricken Mother. She could 
only make her acts of faith and hope, and wait pa- 
tiently till He should come. 

And He came! More swiftly than the lightning 
flashing from East to West, He passed from His rocky 
tomb to her chamber on Mount Sion, and as swiftly 
came the change in that desolate heart from midnight 
darkness to midday brightness and joy. The dawn was 
only breaking, the third day scarcely come, when He 
returned from the grave, eager to comfort those who 
mourned for Him, and His Mother first of all. The 
Scripture, indeed, does not mention His visit to her, 
but can we think that the best of sons would refuse 
this honour and consolation to His Mother? St. Ig- 
natius of Loyola says that anyone who could doubt 
that Christ's first visit was to her, would deserve to 
hear His own word of reproach: "Are you also with- 
out understanding ? " 

The meeting between the Mother and the Son was 
for themselves alone. It will be one of the joys of 
Heaven to know what passed between them in those 
first moments of His Risen Life. All we know now is 
that Mary could say with greater truth than David: 




ON THE WAY TO EMMAUS. 

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to 
enter into His glory?" — Luke 24. 26. 



JESTJS OF NAZARETH. 377 

"According to the multitude of my sorrows in my 
heart, thy comforts have given joy to my soul." * 

Both were eager for the glad surprises of this blessed 
day to begin soon. He must hasten to comfort those 
who on His account were in such bitter trouble. And 
so He left her to go on His errands of love, to do that 
work of comforting which is always the delight of His 
Sacred Heart. 

Who could come next but Magdalen? After His 
Blessed Mother's, no heart was so desolate as hers. 
She had stayed by Him to the end, had helped to lay 
Him in His grave, had sat at the door weeping when 
all had gone away. As long as there was anything she 
could do for Him, even after death, her love was rest- 
less, and so she set out very early on the first day of the 
week, with the holy women her companions, to finish 
the embalming of the sacred Body. On the way to 
the Sepulchre they remembered the huge stone at the 
entrance and wondered how they would get in. But 
the difficulty did not stop them, and on their arrival 
they found the stone rolled away and the entrance to 
the tomb wide open. 

Without waiting to see anything further, Magdalen 
in dismay ran off to Peter and John and said to them : 

" They have taken away the Lord out of the Sepul- 
chre, and we know not where they have laid Him." 

In the meantime the other women went into the 
Sepulchre and saw a young man sitting at the right 
side clothed with a white robe, and they were astonished. 
And he said to them : 

" Fear not you, for I know that you seek Jesus who 
was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen as He 

* Ps. 93. 



378 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

said. Come and see the place where the Lord was 
laid. And going quickly tell His disciples and Peter 
that He is risen, and, behold, He will go before you 
into Galilee, there you shall see Him as He told you." 

And they going out fled from the Sepulchre, for a 
trembling and fear had seized them. And they went 
quickly with fear and great joy, running to tell His 
disciples. 

What running there was that morning! for Peter 
and John, on hearing Magdalen's tale, both ran to- 
gether to the Sepulchre. They saw the stone rolled 
back, and the linen cloths in which our Lord had been 
swathed folded together, but there was no angel there 
now to explain what it all meant. Full of wonder and 
perplexity they had gone home again, when Magdalen, 
who had followed them, arrived and went in. There 
she stood before the empty tomb weeping. 

Now, as she was weeping, she stooped down and 
looked into the Sepulchre: and she saw two Angels in 
white, sitting one at the head and one at the feet where 
the Body of Jesus had been laid. 

They said to her : " Woman, why weepest thou ? " 

She said to them : " Because they have taken away 
my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him." 

When she had said this she turned herself back, and 
saw Jesus standing ; and she knew not that it was Jesus. 

Jesus said to her : " Woman, why weepest thou ? 
whom seekest thou ? " 

She, thinking that it was the gardener, said to Him : 
" Sir, if thou hast taken Him hence, tell me where thou 
hast laid Him, and I will take Him away." 

Jesus said to her: "Mary." 

She, turning, said to Him : " Rabboni," which is to 
say: Master. 



JESUS OF TSTAZARETH. 379 

Jesus said to her : " Do not touch Me, for I am not 
yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and 
say to them : I ascend to My Father and to your Father, 
to My God and to your God." 

Mary Magdalen went and told the disciples, who were 
mourning and weeping: 

" I have seen the Lord and these things He said to 
me. 

And they, hearing that He was alive and had been 
seen by her, did not believe. 

Her two companions were on their way to Jerusa- 
lem to deliver the Angel's message, when Jesus met 
them, saying: 

"All hail!" 

And they came up and took hold of His feet and 
adored Him. 

And Jesus said to them : " Fear not, go tell My 
brethren that they go into Galilee, there they shall see 
Me." 

But Magdalen's radiant face and joyful words : " I 
have seen the Lord," and the assurances of her com- 
panions that they had kissed His feet, failed to cheer 
the disciples. Only the women had seen Him, they 
said, and who could believe such idle tales as theirs ! 

Two of them were so weighed down with sorrow that 
they left Jerusalem in the afternoon to go to a little 
village called Emmaus. As they went they talked over 
all that had happened since Friday, but stopped short 
on finding that a stranger had suddenly joined them. 
He saw they were in trouble and said kindly : 

" What are these discourses that you hold one with 
another as you walk, and are sad ? " 

One of them, whose name was Cleophas, answered: 



380 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

"Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not 
known the things that have been done there in these 
days?" 

To whom He said : " What things ? " 

And they said : '" Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, 
who was -a Prophet mighty in work and word before 
God and all the people; and how our chief priests and 
princes delivered Him to be condemned to death and 
crucified Him. But we hoped that it was He that 
should have redeemed Israel ; and now, besides all this, 
to-day is the third day since these things were done. 
Yea, and certain women also of our company affrighted 
us, who before it was light were at the Sepulchre, and, 
not finding His Body, came saying that they had also 
seen a vision of Angels who say that He is alive. And 
some of our people went to the Sepulchre and found it 
so as the women had said, but Him they found not." 

The Stranger listened quietly to the end of their 
story. Then He said: 

" O foolish and slow of heart to believe in all things 
which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to 
have suffered these things, and so to enter into His 
glory?" 

And beginning at Moses He showed them from all 
the prophets that He who was to come was to be a 
suffering Messiah, not the founder of an earthly king- 
dom as the Jews expected. So far, then, from being 
cast down by what had befallen their Master, they 
ought to take comfort from it, seeing how exactly all 
the prophecies had been fulfilled in Him. Moreover, 
if suffering was the way by which the Messiah was to 
redeem the world, it was not to last for ever. For 
Him and for all His followers the cross was to lead to 
the crown. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. ■ 381 

The disciples listened with rapt attention. Here was 
a new light thrown upon that shameful death of their 
dear Master which had seemed to be the end of all 
their hopes. The cloud upon their hearts began to 
lift. A strange peace and joy seemed to flow to them, 
not from the words alone, but from the very Presence 
of the Stranger. They could not bear to part from 
Him; He had made all the difference in their lives. 

They drew nigh to the town whither they were going, 
and He made as though He would have gone farther, 
but they constrained Him, saying: 

" Stay with us, because it is towards evening and 
the day is now far spent." 

And He went in with them. 

And while He was at table with them, He took 
bread, and blessed, and broke and gave to them. And 
their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He 
vanished out of their sight. 

Here, then, was the explanation of that happy after- 
noon. And they said one to the other: 

" Was not our heart burning within us whilst He 
spoke in the way and opened to us the Scriptures % " 

And rising up the same hour, they went back to 
Jerusalem, and they found the Eleven gathered to- 
gether, and those that were with them. Before they 
could speak they were welcomed with the glad cry: 

" The Lord is risen, indeed, and hath appeared to 
Simon!" 

They looked around. How different the state of 
things in the Upper Chamber from what they had left 
a few hours ago! Joy on every face. Peter's a sight 
never to be forgotten; such peace there, such deep con- 
tent. No word of what had passed between him and his 
Master escaping him, as if his secret were too sweet to 



382 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

be broken by a word, but the certainty of the Resurrec- 
tion so strong within him that on his simple assurance 
the rest believed : " The Lord has risen indeed, and 
has appeared to Simon." He is confirming his brethren 
according to our Lord's words at the Supper. 

At last Cleophas and his companion get a hearing 
and tell their story of the wondrous walk that after- 
noon, and Who went with them, and how they did not 
know Him till the breaking of bread. Those who had 
not yet seen our Lord listened with beating hearts ; they 
believed, but oh, that they too might see Him! 

A stir; a startled cry! For there He stood in their 
midst — Himself, the very same; the face, the look, the 
smile they knew so well. 

" Peace be to you ; it is I, fear not," He said. 

But they being troubled and affrighted supposed 
that they saw a spirit. 

And He said to them : " Why are you troubled, and 
why do thoughts arise in your hearts % See My hands 
and feet, that it is I Myself; handle and see, for a 
spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see Me to have." 

And, when He had said this, He showed them His 
hands and His feet. The disciples, therefore, were 
glad when they saw the Lord. But while they yet be- 
lieved not and wondered for joy, He said : 

" Have you here anything to eat I " 

And they offered Him a piece of broiled fish and a 
honeycomb. And when He had eaten before them, 
taking the remains, He gave to them. 

Then He said to them again : " Peace be to you. 
As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you." 

When He had said this He breathed on them, and 
He said to them : " Eeceive ye the Holy Ghost ; whose 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 383 

sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and 
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." 

The third Sacrament instituted in the Upper Cham- 
ber. The Thursday before, the Blessed Sacrament 
had been instituted there; the Apostles had been made 
priests, and received the awful power to consecrate. 
And now, reserved for the evening of this glad Easter 
Day, when His word again and again is " Peace," He 
institutes and leaves in His Church for ever the blessed 
Sacrament of forgiveness, the Sacrament of Peace. 

How grand is our Lord's generosity in this first meet- 
ing with His poor disciples ! How completely He 
sweeps away all fear that their desertion of Him is to 
make any diiference in His feeling towards them! 
Even if the women's tale were true and the Lord was 
risen indeed, He would look out now for followers more 
worthy of Him. So they must have thought. He 
knew this and set Himself to reassure and comfort 
them in every way that loving Heart of His could de- 
vise. Before His Passion it was their suffering, rather 
than His own, that troubled Him. In His Risen Life, 
what is due to Himself seems forgotten in His concern 
for them. One would think He had to make amends 
to them for what they had borne for His sake. And 
so He hastens here and there, from one group to an- 
other, bringing brightness and happiness to all. Be- 
fore His Passion they were " friends," now they are 
" brethren." His one thought this Easter Day is to 
bring joy to all who love Him. Not so much as a hint 
at any need of forgiveness. 

Oh, what a beautiful character is our dearest Lord's ! 
At the Last Supper it seemed as if self-forgetting love 
could go no further. But when He comes back from 



384 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

the grave, and the weight that all His life long had 
pressed upon His Sacred Heart is gone, there is a 
gladness, almost playfulness, about Him as He appears 
and disappears and hides, that takes us by surprise, and 
discloses depths of tenderness we had not known before. 

One alone of the Eleven, Thomas, was still in trouble 
because in unbelief. He was not with them when 
Jesus came. On his return the rest exclaimed joy- 
fully: 

" We have seen the Lord ! " 

But he said to them : " Except I shall see in His 
hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into 
the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, 
I will not believe." 

Poor St. Thomas ! few among the Apostles loved the 
Master better than he. It was the very depth of his 
affection that made him hesitate to believe what seemed 
too good to be true. Perhaps, too, he was a little jeal- 
ous of the others. Why had he missed what had made 
them so joyful! His mind worked slowly. He did 
not jump at conclusions. The impulsiveness of Peter, 
James, and John was something of a trial to him. He 
rather prided himself on the prudence of his resolve 
not to believe like them till he had seen like them. And 
so he remained aloof, wretched and miserable, a trial 
to them all. But they saw how he was suffering, and 
they were patient with him and kind. And their 
charity was rewarded. He had no right, it is true, 
to lay down the conditions on which he would believe, 
and to get himself into such a state that nothing but a 
miracle could bring him round. But if faith and hope 
had gone, love remained, and our Lord had pity on him 
and humoured him and gave him the proofs he re- 
quired. 




THE ASCENSION. 

" This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so 
come, as you have seen Him going into 
heaven." — Acts I. II. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. £87 

After eight days again the disciples were within, 
and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being 
shut, and stood in the midst and said : 

" Peace be to you." 

Then He said to Thomas : " Put in thy finger 
hither, and see My hands, and bring hither thy hand 
and put it into My side, and be not faithless, but be- 
lieving." 

Thomas answered and said to Him : " My Lord 
and my God ! " 

Jesus said to him : " Because thou hast seen Me, 
Thomas, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have 
not seen and have believed." 

Our Lord's Appearances after His Resurrection were 
for His friends alone. His enemies had abundant 
proof that He was risen, but they did not see Him 
again. They had had their day of grace, and His 
visible presence on earth was no longer for them. He 
had told them shortly before His Passion that if they 
believed not Moses and the Prophets, neither would 
they believe if one should rise from the dead. These 
words were fulfilled now, for the awful " signs " of 
Friday afternoon and Sunday morning left them 
hardened as before. 

When the guards at the Sepulchre, who, at the pres- 
ence of the Angel, were struck with terror and became 
as dead men, had come to themselves, they went into 
the City and told the chief priests all things that had 
been done. And they being assembled together, taking 
counsel, gave a great sum of money to the soldiers, 
saying. " Say you : f His disciples came by night and 
stole Him away when we were asleep.' And if the 
Governor shall hear of this, we will persuade him and 



388 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

secure you." So they, taking the money, did as they 
were taught. "And this word was spread abroad 
among the Jews even unto this day/' says St. Matthew. 

" Spread abroad/' it might be, but not believed. That 
the disciples of Jesus, simple, timid men, who had all 
taken flight when He was seized in the Garden, and had 
not dared to show themselves since, could have attempted 
such a thing, or that Roman soldiers, trained up under 
strict military discipline, and placed there only the 
evening before, should be all asleep at the same time, 
and should sleep so soundly and so long as not to be 
awakened either by the rolling away of the stone or 
the carrying off of the body — this was a story too ridicu- 
lous to deceive any. But the soldiers, who had nothing 
to lose and much to gain by spreading it abroad, did 
as they were told. It was no concern of theirs that 
people asked: if they were asleep how could they see 
the theft of the body ? If they did not see it how were 
they witnesses? 

" He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh at them," 
says Holy Scripture, speaking of the plots of the 
wicked. These words come to mind as we see the 
priests carefully sealing the stone and setting their 
guards on that Sabbath afternoon. These guards were 
the first witnesses to the Resurrection, and that seal 
was its surest sign. God allowed it so to be for the 
confirmation of our faith. He knew that everything 
about our Divine Lord would be attacked by unbe- 
lievers, that the day would come when the Mystery 
which is the very foundation of our faith in Him would 
be assailed. 

That day has come. Because they cannot under- 
stand how Christ rose again, men are saying that the 
Resurrection is an impossibility, and this they try to 



JESUS OP NAZARETH. 389 

prove in books and papers that are read by men, women 
and children of every class, in every country, of every 
shade of religions belief. 

As children of the Catholic Chnrch, we must be on 
our guard against the unbelief of the day in every 
shape. But most of all must we fear and fly from 
anything that would shake our faith in the Resurrec- 
tion of Jesus Christ. If that goes, all must go. If 
that goes, we are no longer Christians, for it is our 
faith in the Resurrection that makes us followers of 
Christ. YVe are not disciples of a dead but of a living 
Man, the God Man Jesus Christ, yesterday, to-day, and 
for ever. 

We believe in this wonderful Mystery because the 
Holy Scripture, which is the word of God, affirms it, 
and because the Church of God has taught it from 
the beginning. But we may strengthen our faith and 
meet the objections of those who try to shake it by con- 
sidering two points about the Resurrection: 

Men are to be found now who say that our Lord was 
not really dead upon the cross, and, therefore, could 
not rise again. 

Now, both pagan and Jewish writers declare that 
Jesus Christ was put to death by Pontius Pilate in the 
reign of Tiberias Csesar. The piercing of the sacred 
Side proves His death ; so do the words of the cen- 
turion to Pilate, and Pilate's gift of the body to 
Joseph of Arimathea, whilst the precautions of the 
priests make both His Death and Resurrection as clear 
as day to all but such as will not see. 

Again, the wonderful change in the Apostles proves 
the truth of the Resurrection. They never so much 
as dreamed of their Master rising again. After His 
death they were utterly disconsolate and hopeless, hid 



390 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

ing away within barred doors, afraid to show them- 
selves abroad. A few weeks later these cowardly men 
were proclaiming the Eesurrection boldly. No fear of 
their rulers nor of torments nor of death could silence 
them : 

" Jesus of Nazareth, whom you by the hands of 
wicked men have crucified and slain — this Jesus hath 
God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses/ 7 said 
Peter in his first sermon to the Jews. 

Standing a little later before Annas and Caiaphas 
to answer for his boldness in healing a cripple in the 
Name of Jesus, he said: 

" Ye princes of the people and ancients, hear. Be 
it known to you all and to all the people of Israel, that 
by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth 
whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the 
dead, even by Him, this man standeth before you 
whole." 

Think of Peter, poor, trembling Peter, who at the 
first word of a servant girl had denied his Master, 
speaking in this strain before the dreaded Sanhedrin! 
How he insists. How little he cares what they do to 
him. And when he and John are forbidden to teach 
any more in the Name of Jesus, their only answer to 
the Council is: 

" If it be just to hear you rather than God, judge 
ye. Por we cannot but speak the things which we 
have seen and heard." * 

To witness to this truth, and preach to all men 
Jesus crucified and risen again, the Apostles gave up 
friends and country, embraced a life of hardship and 
suffering, and at length joyfully laid down their lives. 

*Acts 4. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 391 

Would they have done this had the Resurrection been 
a fable? 

Our faith is built upon the Resurrection; that is, it 
rests upon this great truth as a house on its founda- 
tion. Take away the foundation and the building falls 
to the ground. Give up faith in the Resurrection and 
belief in all other articles of the Creed breaks down. 
We believe them on the word of Jesus, and we believe 
in Jesus because of the Resurrection. The Gospel is 
sometimes called " the preaching of the Resurrection 
of Jesus Christ." This was the proof He gave to 
friends and enemies that He was God. It was this 
wonderful fact that made the first Christians by bring- 
ing such multitudes into the Church at Pentecost. It 
was to commemorate Christ's rising from the dead that 
the first day of the week, Sunday, the Lord's Day, 
was appointed by the Apostles to take the place of 
the Jewish Sabbath. 

Many men have worked miracles in His Name and 
have even raised the dead to life. But no mere man 
has ever raised himself to life. This God alone could 
do. Jesus Christ alone could say : "I have power to 
lay down My life, and I have power to take it up 
again." His Resurrection, then, proves Him to be 
God. If He is God, then all He has taught is true. 
We must believe in Him and we must do all He has 
commanded us. 

There is no article of our Creed that we should say 
with more triumph and joy than this: " The third 
day He rose again from the dead." And with more 
hope. For it is because of the Resurrection of our 
Head that we, the members, look for our own and say: 
" I believe in the Resurrection of the body and life 
everlasting. Amen. ' ' 



392 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 



But we must go back to the Appearances of our Lord 
to His disciples, by which He confirmed their faith in 
this astounding Mystery. When during forty days 
they saw Him, touched Him, heard Him, ate with Him, 
they could no longer doubt the reality of the Resurrec- 
tion. He was as real a person to them as Peter or 
John; He might be looked for at any moment; they 
could put their questions and difficulties to Him as 
before. 

About a week after the Resurrection the Eleven left 
Judea for Galilee. They were glad to go north. Je- 
rusalem had few happy memories for them. There 
the Lord had suffered and died. His enemies were 
there and more infuriated than ever since His Resur- 
rection from the dead. It was by the simple folk of 
Galilee that He had been most followed and loved. 
Everything there — the mountains, the fields, the high- 
ways — spoke to them of Him. And above all, the 
Lake. On its beach they had received their call to fol- 
low Him and become fishers of men. There He had 
spoken the first parables and worked many of His deeds 
of mercy. He had stilled its storms and come to them 
across its waters. What wonder that they were glad to 
find themselves once more on the shores of that dear 
Lake! 

It was strange to go back to nets and fishing after 
that marvellous Pasch; but they were poor men, and 
had to live by their labour. And so when Peter said 
one evening: 

" I go a-fishing," six of them answered : 

" We also come with thee." 

One of them was Thomas. He had learned his les- 
son ; he was not going to lose a chance again by separat- 
ing himself from the rest. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

They put to sea and laboured all night, but caught 
nothing. The sun was rising next morning when, 
through the light mist, they saw a Figure standing on 
the shore, and heard a Voice calling: 

" Children, have you any meat ?" 

The weary men answered : " jSTo." 

" Cast the net on the right side of the ship," said the 
Voice, " and you shall find." 

They obeyed, suspecting nothing. But when the 
net sank heavily, and they were scarcely able to draw 
it for the multitude of fishes, John said to Peter : 

"It is the Lord!" 

In an instant Peter was over the side of the boat and 
making for land with all his might. The six came up 
presently in the boat dragging the net with fishes. 

As soon as they came to land, they saw hot coals 
lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. 

Jesus said to them : " Bring hither of the fishes which 
you have now caught." 

Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land 
full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; and, 
although there were so many, the net was not broken. 

Jesus said to them: " Come and dine." 

Tired and hungry, they stretched themselves on the 
beach. And He went in and out among them giving 
them fish and bread. They looked at Him in silent 
wonder; looked at the Wounds in His feet and hands. 
They listened to Him, took food from His hands, 
touched Him as He went past. And when He came 
and sat down amongst them as in the old days, and the 
fresh morning breeze stirred His hair, and there were 
the sweet words and ways that belonged to Him alone, 
revealing Him every moment — what more could they 
want to convince them of the truth of His own words 



394 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

on the Day of the Kesurrection : " It is I Myself ?" 
St. John, who was there, tells us that " none of them 
who were at meat durst ask Him : ' Who art Thou V " 
knowing that it was the Lord. He goes on to tell us 
what happened after that early dinner. 

When they had dined Jesus said to Simon Peter : 

" Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me more than 
these ?" 

He said to Him : " Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I 
love Thee." 

He said to him: " Feed My lambs." 

He said to him again : " Simon, son of John, lovest 
thou Me?" 

He said to Him : " Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that 
I love Thee." 

He said to him : " Feed My lambs." 

He said to him the third time : " Simon, son of 
John, lovest thou Me ?" 

Peter was grieved because He had said to him the 
third time : " Lovest thou Me ? " and he said to Him : 
" Lord, Thou knowest all things ; Thou knowest that I 
love Thee." 

He said to him: " Feed My sheep." 

Our Lord would give Peter the opportunity of mak- 
ing reparation by three professions of love for his three 
denials. And He asked him for a greater love than the 
rest, because of the greater trust that was to be com- 
mitted to him — the charge of the whole flock. 

The Church, as you will remember, consists of two 
classes, the Teaching and the taught. The taught are 
the simple faithful, whom our Lord calls the lambs ; the 
sheep who look after the lambs are the bishops; they 
make up the Church teaching. Over all Peter is set 
as Shepherd. Teachers as well as taught, bishops and 



JESTJS OF NAZARETH. 395 

priests as well as the simple laity, are to look for guid- 
ance to Peter and his successors. As in the East a 
flock is kept together by following the shepherd, who 
walks on in front and leads it, so the flock of Christ is 
to be kept united by obeying its chief Shepherd the 
Pope ; who is the succesor of Peter and the Vicar of 
Christ. 

" Go, tell His disciples and Peter," the Angel said 
to the women at the Sepulchre. Why " and Peter V 
Was he not one of the disciples ? Yes, but the first 
among them, who had charge of the rest and had to con- 
firm them. This he did on the very Day of the Resur- 
rection. And with wonderful success. What was an 
" idle tale," when told by the women, was the truth 
indeed when it came from Peter : " The Lord is risen in- 
deed and hath appeared to Simon." 

We must not think that the Gospels give us all the 
Appearances of our Lord to the Apostles after His Res- 
urrection. St. John tells us expressly: 

" Many other signs did Jesus in the sight of His dis- 
ciples which are not written in this book. But these 
are written that you may believe that Jesus is the 
Christ the Son of God, and that believing you may have 
life in His Name." St. Luke says : " He showed Him- 
self alive after His Passion by many proofs, for forty 
days appearing to His disciples and speaking to them 
of the Kingdom of God," that is, the Church, which 
our Lord often called by this name. 

In one of these Appearances He was seen by more 
than five hundred disciples at once. This Appearance 
on the mountain was the only one of which the time 
and place were known beforehand. Here our Lord 
was to meet His own by appointment. From all parts 



396 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

— Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee — they flocked to the spot, 
full of joyful expectation. And there, in presence 
of this large number of believers, He gave to the Apos- 
tles the solemn commission to teach the whole world. 
And Jesus coming spoke to them, saying: 
"All power is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. 
Going, therefore, teach ye all nations, baptising them 
in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you, and behold I am 
with you all days even to the consummation of the 
world." 



XLI. 



THIS JESUS SHALL SO COME AS TOU HAVE SEEN HIM 
GOING INTO HEAVEN/' 

And now His work on earth was done; the day was 
come for Him to return to the Father. 

The Eleven were again in Jerusalem, in the Upper 
Chamber sanctified by so many mysteries. St. Luke 
tells us that He appeared to them as they were at table. 
And eating together with them, He commanded them 
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should 
wait for the promise of the Father, which " you have 
heard," saith He, " by My mouth ; for John indeed bap- 
tised with water, but you shall be baptised with the 
Holy Ghost not many days hence." 

And He led them out as far as Bethania. 

How they must have thought as they followed Him 
up the slope of Olivet, of that night six weeks ago when 
He had led them from the Supper Room through the 
streets of Jerusalem to the scene of His lonely Agony, 
the beginning of His Passion. Now His sufferings are 
over, and He is going up Olivet to mount thence to His 
Throne. 

They pass Gethsemane. The glory of the noonday 
sun is on the olive trees beneath whose shade He prayed 
that awful night. Here is the path down which they 
came on the day of palms when He wept over poor 
Jerusalem. Higher and higher they go, and now they 
stand on the summit. 

He looks around. To the north is Galilee and Naz- 
areth and the Lake. Six miles to the south, Bethlehem 
and the Cave. At His feet Jerusalem ; and over there, 

397 



398 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

Calvary and the Sepulchre. He thinks of all the 
glory to His Father, all the treasure for us, the three 
and thirty years of His Life on earth have won, and 
His Heart is full of joy. " It is finished," was His 
last thought on Calvary ; it is His last on Olivet. 

The time is come for Him to leave the earth, but He 
is long in bidding it farewell. His Mother is close 
to Him, and, pressing round, are His dear disciples, 
glad now, because they love Him, that He is going to 
the Father. For each He has a last word, the word 
He knows will reach the heart and meet the needs of 
each, and keep up faith and hope and love unto the 
end. 

And He said to them : 

" Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gos- 
pel to every creature. He that believeth and is bap- 
tised shall be saved, but He that believeth not shall be 
condemned. And these signs shall follow them that 
believe: In My ISTame they shall cast out devils; they 
shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up ser- 
pents ; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall 
not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and 
they shall recover." * 

And after He had spoken to them, lifting up His 
hands, He blessed them. And, whilst He blessed 
them, He was raised up, and a cloud received Him 
out of their sight. And, while they were beholding 
Him, going up to Heaven, two men stood by them in 
white garments who said: 

" Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to 
Heaven? This Jesus, who is taken up from you into 
Heaven, shall so come as you have seen Him going into 
Heaven." 

.* Mark 16. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 399 

" And they adoring went back into Jerusalem with 
great joy." * "And going forth they preached every- 
where, the Lord working withal, and confirming the 
word with signs that followed." \ 

We began this story of Jesus of Nazareth with 
the question of the persecutor Saul : " Who art Thou, 
Lord ? " We end it with the cry of the heathen cen- 
turion, as, sore afraid, he stood in the noonday dark- 
ness beside the Cross: 

"Indeed this Man was the Son of God!" 

This is the testimony borne by Heaven and earth 
and Hell itself to Jesus Christ. By the Angels singing 
in the midnight sky over Bethlehem. By the star that 
led wise men to His feet. By the Voice at His Bap- 
tism. By the winds and the waves of the stormy sea. 
By the earth that gave up its dead at His word and 
shuddered beneath His Cross. It is the testimony of 
type and of prophecy, of His teaching, of His miracles, 
of His Resurrection and Ascension, of His divinely 
beautiful Character. It is the testimony of those who 
hated Him unto death and of the very devils themselves, 
as well as of those who in every age have loved Him 
and laid down their lives for Him with joy. It is the 
testimony of His Church to the end of time, of all 
who have eyes to see and ears to hear : 

" Indeed this Man was the Son of God! " 

Writing to his converts at Ephesus, St. Paul bade 
them hold fast the faith they had received, and beware 
of the false teachers who were come among them. As 
the soldiers of his time warded off an enemy's arrows 

* Luke 24. f Mark 16. 



400 JESUS OF NAZARETH. 

by a shield that covered them from head to foot, so 
were these new Christians to " take the shield of faith 
wherewith to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most 
wicked one." * 

To you, the children of this twentieth century, the 
great Apostle would give the same solemn charge. 
There are men in these days who are trying to undo 
all that Jesus Christ has done, who deny whatever in 
His Life they cannot understand, and teach children 
that such facts as His Resurrection and Ascension 
could not have happened because they do not see how 
they happened. It is very wrong and very cruel thus 
to rob the little ones of their faith in Him who died 
to save them from sin and hell. 

Do not listen to such teaching. When men or 
women, companions, books or newspapers, would shake 
your faith in Jesus Christ — up, then, with the shield 
of faith : "I believe in God the Father Almighty, 
Creator of Heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ 
His only Son, our Lord." 

Cling to Jesus Christ. Let no one, let no thing 
separate you from Him. He alone, by His Precious 
Blood, can wash away your sins. He alone can com- 
fort you when you are poor, or sick, or desolate. He 
alone can give you courage in the hour of trial, vic- 
tory in temptation, and help in the awful hour of death. 
When all desert you then, He will stand by you and 
keep you from harm if you have clung to Him all 
your life through as your Saviour and your Friend. 

Cover yourselves, then, with the shield of faith when 
danger threatens. Be glad that as children of the Holy 
Catholic Church you are preserved from the ignorance 

* Ephes. 6. 



JESUS OF NAZARETH. 401 

and the disbelief which is taking Jesus Christ out of 
the hearts and the lives of so many who are outside. 
Say to Him joyfully with Peter and with Martha: 
" Thou art Christ the Son of the living God." 
And be not afraid to profess your faith boldly : 

Jesus is God ! if on the earth 

This blessed faith decays, 
More tender must our love become, 
More plentiful our praise.* 

By your reverence in His Presence, by the frequency 
and the fervour of your Communions, by the observance 
of His Commandments and of the precepts of His 
Church, profess your faith in Him. 

And if at times it costs, as it most certainly will, to 
show yourselves the followers of Jesus Christ, look 
forward to that Hay when He in His turn will confess 
you before the whole world. Remember that this 
Jesus, who has been taken up from us into Heaven, is 
to come again. Look forward to meeting Him with 
joy at His Second Coming, to being owned by Him 
then for one of His, according to His promise : " He 
that shall confess Me before men, I will also confess 
him before My Father who is in Heaven and before 
the Angels of God." \ 

* Faber. f Matth. 10 j Luke 12. 



W ELCOME... 



Holy Communion: Before 
and After. 



In his Preface to this admirable book, Father Thurston says: 
" Our moods are very various. Our thoughts about God and our 
own souls are often more entangled than our ideas about any- 
thing in the world. The spiritual guide who helps us most is 
he who can interpret ourselves to ourselves; and to nobody do 
we feel a deeper gratitude than to one who can put into simple 
words the vague longings after good which we know not how 
to utter in any form that satisfies us. . . . Those who use 
this little book will find it both immediately and permanently 
helpful as an aid to their devotion in Holy Communion." 

A reader of Mother Loyola's works says: Welcome has done 
me more good than any book that I have ever read." 

A Spiriual Director says: "I find Welcome most useful for 
myself and for the direction of others. It is a most timely book, 
now that our Holy Father has so urgently recommended fre- 
quent and daily Communion." 

BENZIGER BROS., NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO 



Thoughts for All Times 

BY MONSIGNOR VAUGHAN. 

A Wonderful Book of Over 400 Pages at the Remarkably 
Low Price of 90 Cents. 



" This great work of Monsignor Vaughan needs only to be 
known in order to be appreciated. I should be glad to see a 
copy of it in every household in the land." — Cardinal Gibbons. 

A missionary priest says : " Next after the sacred Scriptures, 
I never read a book so helpful towards leading a good life as 
Monsignor Vaughan's Thoughts for All Times. From it I have 
derived much benefit for my own soul, as well as for the enlight- 
enment and encouragement of others." 

A few extracts from the work itself will make this clear. From 
the chapter on Infinite Love we take the following : 

" What the sun is in the material order, that love 
is in the social and moral order." 

"We all turn as naturally and as eagerly towards 
a devoted friend as the sunflower is said to turn 
towards the sun." 

" Of all topics that can engross the mind, the only one of 
which men never seem to tire or weary is love. . . . Under 
its influence the weak become strong, the despondent hopeful, 
and the niggardly generous. It changes, transforms and ame- 
liorates whatever it touches, and infuses a nobler and higher im- 
pulse wherever its influence penetrates." 

" This would prove a sad and dreary world but for the bright, 
warm sunshine shed by loving hearts. For love illuminates our 
darkness; it causes the desert itself to blossom as a garden, 
weaves a thread of golden splendor into the dull texture of a 
cheerless life, and creates a veritable paradise even on the con- 
fines of hell. It is sweet to be loved even by the dumb, un- 
conscious beast." 

" Yes, even human love is full of beauty and of gladness. 
And why? Simply and solely (as it seems to me) because it is 
a shadow, indeed, but yet a real shadow of one of the most tre- 
mendous and sublime realities, viz.: God's overpowering love 
of us." 



" If the love that is born of creatures be so welcome, so cheer- 
ing, so gladdening and so soul-inspiring, what are we to say, 
what, indeed, can we say of the love of Him who is not a crea- 
ture at all, however perfect and however exquisite, but the Infi- 
nite and the Uncreated? What is all earthly affection compared 
with the fierce, consuming fire of divine love burning in the 
sacred heart of the world's Redeemer? ... In fact, but for 
this love we never could have been. It was His love, and His 
love only, and not the thought of any interest or advantage that 
He could expect to derive from our existence, that determined 
Him to call us from the hollow womb of nothingness into a state 
of actual being. Behold, ' I have loved thee with an everlast- 
ing love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee' 
(Jeremias xxxi. 3). 

"To any one who at all realizes the majesty and unapproach- 
able glory of God, on the one hand, and the ineffable tenderness 
and depth of His love on the other, there is something positively 
intoxicating in the thought. Who would ever fear, or doubt, 
or hesitate, or despair, if he were really and indeed intimately 
conscious to himself that the loving arms of Omnipotence are 
zvound about him all the day long, and that nothing in heaven 
or on earth can possibly approach to injure or molest him with- 
out permission from that divine Lover whose love is infinite, 
and whose power is commensurate with His love? To be fully 
sensible of all this is to be calm and happy, and to share in some 
measure in the felicity of the saints. 

" There are two wondrous faculties in the love God bears 
towards men which can never be sufficiently realized, and which 
we should, therefore, frequently call to mind and ponder over. 
First, its intensity, and secondly, its essentially personal char- 
acter. Like a true, warm-hearted lover He is never weary of 
expressing His love, and, as it were, whispering into our ears 
fresh assurances of His enduring attachment. At one time in the 
most explicit terms, and at others by figures and symbols. He 
seeks to enforce the same sweet truth upon us, and to persuade 
us more and more fully of the depths of that charity which the 
apostle tells us ' surpasseth all understanding' (Eph. iii. 19). 
' Fear not,' He exclaims, ' for I have redeemed thee and called 
thee by thy name; thou art mine' (Is. xliii. 1). 'I have loved 
thee with an everlasting love' (Is. xxxi. 3). And in what meas- 
ure and with what strength? He answers the query Himself: 
'As the Father loved Me, so I have loved you." 



VOCATIONS EXPLAINED: 

Matrimony, Virginity, the Religious State, 
the Priesthood. 



BY A VINCENTIAN FATHER. 



16mo., Flexible Cloth, 10 cents each; per 100, $5.00. 
CONTENTS. 

Every Person has some Special Vocation— Necessity of following a Vocation- 
Matrimony : Is it a Vocation ?— Mixed Marriages — Virginity — The Three 
Evangelical Counsels— The Religious State— Marks of a Vocation to the Re- 
ligious State— Doubts About a Vocation to the Religious State— Inducing 
Others to enter the Religious State— Means of Preserving a Vocation to the 
Religious State : Some Obstacles— Children and the Religious State : Exam- 
ple— Duty of Parents Regarding the Religious Vocation of their Children- 
Vocations to the Priesthood— Do V ocations to the Priesthood Come Directly 
from God ?— -Fostering Vocations to the Priesthood— Preventing Vocations to 
the Priesthood— Means of Knowing our Vocation. 

APPROBATIONS. 

Most Rev. Sebastian MartineUi, B. B„ Apostolic Delegate : "I was very 

tlad in reading them to find out that you follow, in this serious point, the 
octrine taught by St. Alphonsus Liguori. ... So I think your work will 
be of great utility and help to young people. . . .." 

Most Rev. Wm. H. Gross, D. D., Archbishop of Oregon : " I am very glad 
you have published a work on a subject so grave as ' Vocations.' . . . Your 
work is very opportune. . . ." 

Most Rev. Fr. X. Katzer, B. D., Archbishop of Milwaukee.: " In the 
hands of our voung is certainlv apt to do a great deal of good." 

Right Rev W. M. Wigger, D. i>„ Bishop of Newark: "I have carefully 
read the little book entitled ' Vocations Explained.' ... If it were intro- 
duced into the Catholic schools, I am confident that it would do much good 
among the children." 

Right Rev. Ignatius F. Horstmann, D. B., Bishop of Cleveland : "As I 
gave mv approbation to the larger Catechism on Vocations, I cheerfully do 
the same for ' Vocations Explained.' . . . What is said about Mixed Mar- 
riages is most timelv." 

Right Rev. B. de Goesbriand, B. D., Bishop of Burlington : " Excellent 
—excellent." 

Right Rev. James McGolrick, B. B., Bishop of Buluth : "You have 
written a most useful book. ... It will be of great use in all our schools, 
for a clear, accurate statement about ' Vocations ' is very much needed. 

Right Rev. James Ryan, B. B., Bishop of Alton : "A valuable and timely 
treatise, calculated to do much good." t ^ .... 

Right Rev. B. Scunlan, B. B., Bishop of Salt Bake : " I have read the little 
volume with great pleasure and interest, and I must add that I have received 
therefrom no small amount of instruction. I consider it a very usetul and 
instructive book for all." 

Right Rev. John Moore, B. B., Bishop of St. Augustine : . . 1 con- 

sider it very good and very useful in guiding the teachers of the young in 
this delicate" matter. ... I shall recommend its use to the sisters who 
have charge of the schools in this diocese. ..." 

Right Rev. James A. McFaul, B. B., Bishop of Trenton : «• . . I am 

confident that it will be a faithful guide to every one who is anxious to find 
his true place in the divine plan of redemption." 

FOR SALE BY ALL CATHOLIC BOOKSELLERS. 



The Soldier of Christ 

OR 

TALKS BEFORE CONFIRMATION 

Although the author has not aimed at supplying a full course 
of dogmatic instruction about the Sacrament of Confirmation, it 
is hoped that the book will be useful in inspiring a love of certain 
military virtues specially desirable in those who are to be made 
" soldiers of Christ." 

"The central idea of Mother Loyola's volume is conveyed in its 
alternative title: Talks Before Confirmation/ It does not aim 
at imparting dogmatic knowledge, but at awakening a sense of 
earnestness and responsibility. It contains little to be learnt, 
but much to be practised." — Weekly Register. 

THE CHILD OF GOD 

OR 

WHAT COMES OF OUR BAPTISM 

The Dublin Review says: 

" The success of Mother Loyola's charming book is not at all 
limited to the need of children. Once it falls into mature or aged 
hands it is sure to do its work, for matter, reason, and fact, with 
their strong logic, are there, and it is an easy inference that where 
one child takes to thinking over what she says, ten, if not a hun- 
dred, adults will do the same, and, we hesitate not to say, with 
more abundant advantage." 
The Church Gazette says: 

" Mother Mary Loyola has certainly written an attractive and 
readable book for children, carried out in lively conversational 
and even entertaining style." 
The American Ecclesiastical Review says: 

"Apart from the attractiveness with which Mother Loyola 
knows how to invest her subject, by pretty stories and catching 
illustrations, for the children who are being instructed, our 
teachers might learn from the method which she suggests a good 
lesson for the way in which the child's intelligence and conscience 
are best reached. These two faculties are, as Father Thurston 
points out in his Preface, the last of all to quicken into life. The 
keenest little brains have often no conception how to think, or 
how to think about themselves." 



LIKE OK 

St. Vincent de Paul 

By REV. CHARLES MALOY, CM. 



Paper Edition . . Retail, $0.20; net, $0.16 

Cloth . . . Retail, $0.35 ; net, $0.28 



In the opinion of the best critics this is the most popular, the 
most unctuous, and the most readable life of St. Vincent that 
has yet appeared. After years spent in the careful study of 
fourteen histories of St. Vincent, Father Maloy has become a 
fit instrument for placing before the public a much-needed and 
greatly appreciated work — namely, a concise and practical ac- 
count of the life, labors, and virtues of the great apostle of 
charity. 

A prominent member of the Conference of St. Vincent de 
Paul said : " This book is precisely what we want in order to 
make the works of the Conference better known and to create 
more interest in them." 

"Just what we need to increase the number of vocations in 
our community. — Sisters of Providence. 

Cardinal Vaughan highly praises the larger Life of St. Vin- 
cent, by Bishop Bougaud, from which much of the matter of 
this book has been taken. 

The Cardinal says: "This Life of St. Vincent de Paul will 
be of value to bishops, superiors and ecclesiastical students, be- 
cause it contains so much that directly concerns the training and 
mission of the priesthood. It will be of use also to the devout 
laity if it incite them also to address frequent and fervent prayer 
to God for the sanctification of the clergy. Sicut populus sic 
Sacerdos. If the fathers and mothers of families form a high 
ideal of the priesthood, if they inspire it into their children, if 
they foster it during the years of the education of their sons, 
they will render incalculable service to the Church. . . Now, 
from no biography will they better learn what the priesthood 
ought to be than from the Life of St. Vincent de Pau4."— Her- 
bert Cardinal Vaughan. 



ocr 4 »8M 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: July 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724) 779-21 1 1 



Xh T~^> il. 



